Plea for information

[REES at rmcs.cranfield.ac.uk]

I would be interested in learning more about the politics and mathematics of
cryptography, but my site does not have access to a newsreader.  As I am new to
the Net, I am not aware of any acceptable way around this, which will allow me
to read and contribute to the cypherpunk and related newsgroups - please can
you help me out on this matter.  Also, I would like to know how best to
understand cryptography - I have a textbook on the basic mathematical concepts
underlying the techniques but it is too advanced for my current knowledge in
this field (A-level - ie. end of high school), please can you suggest a good
starting place for me.

Thanks in advance for your assistance,

Daniel Rees