Exodus

I'm just hanging around Zurich airport for my flight back to Amsterdam, so that's my excuse for my incremental titling of this posting.

And I feel it's important to explain why I chose the first three subjects for my blog (OK, I don't want everyone to think I'm some gynaecology-obsessed sicko). Of course, you may consider me a sicko for other reasons, but I'd rather be loathed for genuine reasons than for a misunderstanding.

In case you never heard the second series of Douglas Adams' brilliant 'Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy', the first episode ('Fit The Seventh') refers to 'Playbeing' magazine which is described as "a curious journal devoted in roughly equal parts to galactic politics, rock music, and gynaecology". Hence my nod of deference to Mr. Adams' work. Also, I am interested in two of those subjects. And, coincidentally, my first job was working in two hospitals' Obstetrics & Gynaecology Departments. But that's not important right now.

OK, so I'll also throw in a comment about UK politics. Much as I hate to see the awful situation in Iraq right now, I reckon Mr. Blair made the best judgement given the information available and I imagine that I might've made the same decision he did. But the press like someone to take pot-shots at, so they criticise him for his lack of clairvoyant abilities. (We all have 20:20 hindsight). And those same media would have been just as quick to draw parallels with Chamberlain's appeasement at Saddam's next attack on his own people. Sheer hypocrisy. I play my best games from the stands, too.

As my parting shot I highly recommend two books which, I admit, I'm probably a little late in coming to. Phillip Yancey's 'What's So Amazing About Grace' is the best summary of what being a Christian is really about. Even if you've been badly burned by the Church or Christians, you should read this book, because it admits (and encourages Christians to admit) the weaknesses of those of us whio try to live the Christian life. And then it reminds us that God wants us to stop focusing on what we do and look at who we are. Then we need to let others do the same. Encouraging and challenging, it frequently brought a lump to my throat.

The second is Neal Stphenson's 'Cryoptonomicon'. A cyberculture thriller which I nearly left in W.H. Smith when I saw that it was 950 pages long! But I'm glad I didn't, because it blends cryoptography, technology, a Second World War story, American business and some laugh-out-loud one-liners into one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time.

Read 'em both and let me know what you think!