With a new Formula 1 season beginning on the 14th March in Bahrain, I have been mulling over the latest set of rule changes, and how they will affect the racing. The major difference in 2010 of course will be the refuelling ban – pit stops will only be for tyres. However, my mind was cast back to...

Are you like me and couldn’t give a rat’s ass about sport? Everybody has tried to bully me into taking the bloody thing up. Hockey, lacrosse, swimming, rowing - and if tiddly winks were on offer I’m sure somebody would try to convert me into a first-class winker. Even my Grandad has managed to drag his concentration away from The Six Nations to point out that I should do some sit-ups. I’m not sure why I’ve never been interested in sport. Don’t get me wrong...

Is getting wasted just a waste of time or have you mastered getting plastered? The concept that it is OK to turn down a Quaddie in Klute is not one that I’m very well acquainted with. My worst enemy is the barman who says “You know, it would be so much cheaper with another shot of vodka in there,” and the next thing I know...

The average man knows little about Nietzsche (1844-1900) beyond his infamous quote “God is Dead”. A fascinating figure, arguably no philosopher other than Marx has had a greater impact on the 20th century. Born in Prussia into the Victorian era of

At the beginning of last year I remember reading several articles suggesting holidays at home rather than abroad on account of the recession. Now that we have, for the time being, crawled our way out of the longest and deepest recession since the Second World War, we are being told that we can once again venture abroad...

From coming out of the closet through to cruising gay websites for local sexual encounters, there is no denying that the internet has not only revolutionised the way the world as a whole connects, but has revolutionised and perhaps re-invented the queer world. For any...

it just me? Or does anybody actually look forward to Valentine’s Day? I don’t and I don’t know anybody who does. Our calendars illuminate the day in evil bright red writing. Everywhere seems to be caked in sickly pink fluffy hearts. The whole day is difficult to ignore and about as subtle as Amy Winehouse’s weave. If you’re single then you spend it with your sad...

Waterproof, volumising, “sexy curves” mascara, an artist’s palate of brush colours to apply: surveying the local cosmetic shelves is, frankly, exhausting. Sexy, chic, “natural” looks are bombarded...

The current world we happen to inhabit is also one of breathtaking scientific richness. We can manipulate DNA to create specific forms of life, map the movement of atoms in inconceivably intricate biological systems, unlock deep secrets of the universe and learn the exact physical forces which allowed a few carbon atoms to come together for a brief period of...

It might be surprising to hear that a documentary about the process of putting together American Vogue’s biggest and best selling issue in September 2007 contains some memorable and tender moments, but it's true. They do not however, come courtesy of renowned Editor in Chief Anna ‘nuclear’ Wintour, but of...

On 6 May 2007 Kim Clijsters announced her immediate retirement from the game of tennis. A year later, her compatriot and world no. 1 Justine Henin followed suite, to the shock and disappointment of fans across the world. Between them they had won...

It's only since moving to France for my year abroad that I have truly come to appreciate British style; it’s like not appreciating what a great family you have until you become homesick. And what a family. Exciting, adventurous and ever so eccentric, one thing’s for certain

As a decade passes since Durham’s bid for the UK Capital of Culture '13 was shockingly granted, it would be prudent for D21 to take a look at the effect this prestigious award had on a once quiet city nestled twixt the northern, slightly aggressive arms of Newcastle and Sunderland. Most reading this won’t recall...

The machine gun attack on the Togo football team bus, killing three and wounding two, is the latest miserable day to record in the heavily blemished diary of world sport. Hostility has frequently found its way into the newspapers via sporting events and the genuine possibility that Emmanuel Adebayor, a Premiership...

Dark Matter is a difficult concept to understand. Many separate discoveries have led scientists to conclude that we can’t actually see all of the matter in the universe. For example, from observing light from other galaxies, we can see that some of their properties require much more mass than can be seen from starlight. Now, even a...

That time of year is steadily approaching when the question, “What are your New Year’s resolutions?” is asked, again and again. As my friends...

If you don’t do a science subject, and you aren't one of Sir Patrick 'I bloody love the moon' Moore's offspring, a lot of ridiculously fascinating events can completely pass you by. Stars exploding, potential black holes being created on earth, that sort of thing. Enter Heather Fulton, a science student with just enough free time to condense the Institute...

Durham does a lot of theatre. It's a fact. Unfortunately, with such a flourishing theatrical scene comes an overwhelming amount of acronyms: DULOG, DST, CTC, BTC, HCTC, DOE, DUP... OK, stopping now. But does an acronym (usually involving the letters 'D' or 'T') really make a great theatre company? Of course not, which is why the Collingwood Woodplayers have chosen to bypass all that irritating abbreviation and concentrate on producing some quality theatre coming at you on the 7th, 8th and 9th December. Aside from the Assembly Rooms, there are so many...

Lee Westwood’s caddie: for years he had to carry the clubs of a close but no cigar character; now his boss may well be ready to go all the way. He’s yet to win a major, but Westwood has come about as close as you can get, missing out by one shot at this year’s Open. But since that disappointment at Turnberry, Westwood has taken his game to next level, playing some stunning golf to win the Dubai World Championship and with that...

The award for the most conspicuous display of vulgar affluence goes to the city of Dubai. This polluted metropolis, a speck on the edge of a vast desert is, by some way, the most sordid, phony, egotistical and pathetic place on earth, and one which shows no better the folly of man’s...

Non-plastic bags, wearing superfluous yet colourful wristbands, and skip-diving (or Freegan, where the person involved basically refuses to consume food not found in skips) are examples of vaguely environmentally friendly practices seen around Durham. In fact, come to think of it, skip-diving surely just revolves around a general resistance to spending money, but aside from this, it's safe to say that many students are quite ecologically aware...

The Haye vs Valuev fight promoters: When some guy called David fights a seven foot giant, the ‘David vs Goliath’ tagline writes itself. And it’s even better for the promoters when the outcome remains the same as David beat Goliath, sorry Nikolay, at the weekend in Nuremberg. Looking at the pre-fight photos, it was easy to feel distinctly worried for the relatively tiny (albeit six foot three) David Haye, as the enormous, 22 stone Valuev towered

The year is 1976. From the stage hall comes the roar of guitars, the crash of drums followed by Johnny Rotten’s snarl as he bawls out “I am an anti-christ, I am an anarchist” to the packed crowd. The crowd in response mosh, a new form of violent dancing invented by the bizarre phenomenon known as punk. A man is left with a bloody nose...