I'll Try to be Nicer, If you Try to be Smarter

My favourite book as a teenager and still is today (As an Audio book) is coming to the big screen.  Endersgame a book really about child soldiers was written by Orson Scott Card.

Orson Scott Card is a Mormon and a Elder of the Church.  Being such he holds views which embody everything which I despise.  He is against equality for gay people and holds onto the belief that gay couples should not be married and he believes in religion.

Despite that, he is a brilliant author, and in the book Endersgame, he manages to cover the controversial topics of Child Soldiers and Xenocide (the deliberate elimination of an entire species), in a moral sense, but independent of any religious setting.

The Film adaptation of this book along with its companion novel Enders Shadow.  Will soon be appearing on the bog screen.

You can view an HD Version of the Trailer on the IMDB website or on Youtube.  A lower quality version is available here —–> Ender’s Game (2013) – IMDb

This is a phrase I have used alot myself and I have been reminded about after reading the blog of another Ex Royal Air Force, Airman who has only just recently transferred out of the Military life to join us on Civvy Street.

It is fair to say that for the Ten years I served in the R.A.F, it was not really “Soldering” as most people would know it.  I was a technician, I fixed Radars, and other Strategic and Tactical Communications and Detection equipments of varying types and complexities.

Apart from a tour in the Amazing Falkland Islands in 1998 (Well after the invasion), I cant say I really saw any action or visited a war zone.  I have been under fire, but I certainly did not face anything that come even remotely close to what our Brave boys face each and every day in Afghanistan, and previously Iraq (Both times) and the Falklands (1982).   In my book they are the true heroes and deserve all the respect we can give them.  If you do not respect them, you are no Friend of Mine.

Any way back to the Blogger Alex whos blog can be seen at http://rafairman.wordpress.com has recently left the R.A.F. and appears to be missing it a little bit.

Well Alex, I can tell you, there are many of us out there, it does get easier the further you get.  As long as you are doing a job you enjoy and have your family and friends around you to help you through the transition from Military to Ex-Military, you should be fine.  Just remember, there are those who are worse of than you or I.

Those I really worry about are the Army Infantry and Royal Marines.  The guys who are shot at, blown up and face the very real dangers each and every day on the front line.  I don’t mean to be insulting but they do they tend to be younger, and come from poorer and less well educated backgrounds, so often leave the Military without the wide range of Technical Skills, that can land then in the better  jobs that a lot of Defence Companies like British Aerospace, Thales and others have to offer. (I know there is a bit of generalisation, but in my experience over the last 23 years this is true)

This is not to demean what the Infantry do.  These are guys are the best.  These guys put their lives on the line every day they fight.  Its these guys that won the two world wars, the Falklands and took the brunt of the Casualties in both Iraq and Afghanistan.  Its these guys that command my greatest respect.

I think the point I am trying to make with all this is that  as Afganistan draws to a close in the next few years.  Just have a thought for all those Ex-Military (especially those who served in the Falklands (1982), Iraq and Afghanistan) .They are true Heroes, and I am proud to have been (and in a way still am) part of a Family that protects this country from its enemies.

Its a valid question. As an former analyst I have done a lot of work analysing figures and spotting trends. Thats one of the many Jobs I have done as part of my career, and its one of the skills I keep current and up to date, because it is so useful in many walks of life and a transferable skill.

Over the last few years I have used the information published by the Police on the police.uk website.  I have taken the Crime statistics they publish for 1 mile radius of my Postcode and some some very basic trend Analysis.

What the analysis does show is that crimes such as Burglary, Criminal Damage, Arson and Theft are all on the increase.  Violent Crime is pretty static (NOT FALLING).  Its only those categorised as OTHER CRIMES that has fallen.

The Picture below is a Graphical Representation of the Crime Figures I have analysed.  I have also included the Crime Figures spreadsheet, so feel free to put your data in place and check your own area.

Dont take what your police force is telling you for granted.