SPORTS
2011 Rugby World Cup
According to a recent study by the Wall Street Journal, during an NFL football game, the ball is only actually in play for an average of 11 minutes. In a rugby game, on the other hand, the ball is in play for 80 minutes of non-stop, unadulterated brutality.
(OK, there is a 10-minute halftime.) The full-tackle/kick-in-the-face sport uses no pads, one referee and — best of all — no silly timeouts, which makes it arguably the manliest/ womanliest sport imaginable. And, for the first time ever, NBC will broadcast 10 of the 48 matches of the 2011 RUGBY WORLD CUP on American television. Whet your bloodthirsty appetite with New Zealand vs. Canada on Oct. 2 at 3 pm.
BLOG 
Bibliodyssey
If you have a soft spot for vintage prints, eclectic book art, science illustrations and otherwise useless images, then Bibliodyssey may make you weak in the knees. The blog provides a beautiful collection of high-resolution images of the obscure and the mundane. While there, download 18th century scientific illustrations of the human heart or 1960s classifications of ferns and fungi.
BOOK
Our Bodies, Ourselves
Feminism is an f-word and although Our Bodies, Ourselves doesn’t exactly say f--you to right-wing, religious zealots, it’s a step in that direction. The 2011 edition of the iconic 1970 book on women’s health and sexuality will be released on Oct. 1. The newly revised edition provides up-to-date information about gender identity, sexual orientation, birth control, abortion, pregnancy and birth, perimenopause, menopause, health issues such as breast and ovarian cancers, and sexual health in aging women. It’s a feminist’s instant classic. Er, re-classic.
