In November 2010, an industry was born. Upon hearing of Prince William and Kate Middleton's engagement, scores of retailers scrambled to produce royal wedding memorabilia items that will inevitably sell for thousands of dollars on eBay one day. Here's our roundup of the most sentimental, strange and comically inappropriate commemorative items up for sale right now.

The Easter Bunny, in case you’ve been living in a cave, on Mars, with your fingers in your ears, is an anthropomorphic, egg-laying rabbit who sneaks into homes the night before Easter to deliver baskets full of colored eggs, toys and chocolate. A wise man once told me that “all religions are beautiful and all religions are wacko,” but even if you allow for miracles, angels, and pancake Jesus, the Easter Bunny really comes out of left field.

If you go way back, though, the Easter Bunny starts to make a little sense. Spring is the season of rebirth and renewal. Plants return to life after winter dormancy and many animals mate and procreate. Many pagan cultures held spring festivals to celebrate this renewal of life and promote fertility. One of these festivals was in honor of Eostre or Eastre, the goddess of dawn, spring and fertility near and dear to the hearts of the pagans in Northern Europe. Eostre was closely linked to the hare and the egg, both symbols of fertility.

As Christianity spread, it was common for missionaries to practice some good salesmanship by placing pagan ideas and rituals within the context of the Christian faith and turning pagan festivals into Christian holidays (e.g. Christmas). The Eostre festival occurred around the same time as the Christians’ celebration of Christ’s resurrection, so the two celebrations became one, and with the kind of blending that was going on among the cultures, it would seem only natural that the pagans would bring the hare and egg images with them into their new faith (the hare later became the more common rabbit).

The pagans hung on to the rabbit and eventually it became a part of Christian celebration. We don’t know exactly when, but it’s first mentioned in German writings from the 1600s. The Germans converted the pagan rabbit image into Oschter Haws, a rabbit that was believed to lay a nest of colored eggs as gifts for good children. (A poll of my Twitter followers reveals that 81% of the people who replied believe the Easter Bunny to be male, based mostly on depictions where it’s wearing a bowtie. The male pregnancy and egg-laying mammal aspects are either side effects of trying to lump the rabbit and egg symbols together, or rabbits were just more awesome back then.)

Oschter Haws came to America with Pennsylvania Dutch settlers in the 1700s, and evolved into the Easter Bunny as it became entrenched in American culture. Over time the bunny started bringing chocolate and toys in addition to eggs (the chocolate rabbit began with the Germans, too, when they started making Oschter Haws pastries in the 1800s).

The Easter Bunny also went with European settlers to Australia, as did actual bunnies, since there were no indigenous rabbits in Oz. These rabbits, fertile as they are, got a little out of control, so the Aussies regard them as serious pests. The destruction they’ve caused to habitats is responsible for the major decline of some native animals and causes millions of dollars worth of damage to crops. It is, perhaps, not a great idea to use an invasive species as a symbol for a religious holiday, so Australia retired the Easter Bunny and replaced it with the Easter Bilby (below, on the right), an endangered marsupial that kind of looks like a bunny if you squint.

Everywhere you turn you are probably seeing and hearing the following phrases: “go green,” “eco-friendly,” and “environmentally conscious.” The push, especially for Americans, to reduce pollution and help save the environment is based on evidence that the decisions we have made, and continue to make, are damaging the air we breathe and the land we live on. Read our tips and tricks to help you get started in living a green lifestyle.

If you are looking for more information on what you can do to help save the environment, read The Green Book, by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen.

Day-to-Day

.Save water by decreasing your shower time -- or rather take a bath, which uses less water than a shower.

.Get in the habit of brushing your teeth with the water off, and encourage your children to do so, as well.

.Recycle – junk mail, cell phones, paper products, plastic bags, and more.

.Switch from paper and plastic bags to reusable bags and totes. Try Envirosax or Dogeared’s neat styles.

.Forget the electric or gas dryer, and hang dry your clothing.

.Opt for direct deposit, online banking, and paperless statements to reduce your paper usage.

.Try your hand at composting (planting scraps from fruits, veggies, and coffee grounds outside), which will help create better soil and less landfill waste.

.Don’t purchase disposable water bottles, but rather use recyclable (and refillable) beverage containers that you can fill with filtered water.

.Unplug all of your appliances when you leave the house to save energy (and prevent a fire hazard).

.If possible, take public transportation or walk.

.Don’t use plastic storage containers, and definitely do not heat food within a plastic container in the microwave.

.Keep one set of dishes at the office, including: a cup, utensils, bowl, and plate. This will prevent you from reaching for disposable utensils, cups, and plates.

.Save stained or ill-fitting clothing to use for dusting and cleaning.

.Use rechargeable batteries -- Duracell now has a line of pre-charged rechargeable batteries!

.DONATE!!!

.Purchase used items from thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets, and more.

.Rent movies and borrow books, instead of purchasing. Netflix and Blockbuster make it easy by delivering the flicks right to your door.

.If you are in the market for a new car, purchase a hybrid model.

.Select products made of recyclable materials. Nahui Ollin, a handbag designer, has a created line of bags, made from recycled candy wrappers, that are cute and affordable.

.Buy groceries in bulk, as it reduces packaging and the number of trips you take to the grocer. Purchase a membership to a wholesale club, such as Costco or BJ’s.

.If possible, buy items that use less packaging.

.Purchase locally produced food at farmer’s markets and even road-side stands.

.Purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, instead of jarred, canned, or frozen.

.Purchase organic foods, as they don’t contain pesticides and harmful chemicals, in addition to organic cotton.

.Follow the celebrity trend and use cloth diapers, as opposed to disposable diapers, which cause landfill waste.

.Select soy or beeswax candles, instead of paraffin candles.

.Use healthy and environmentally friendly cosmetics, such as mineral-based cosmetics and natural bath products.

Be part of the biggest Earth Day yet this April 22. Join us here and on our Earth Day official website.

Earth day fun activities for children and the whole family

William and Kate might like to give this idea for their big day a miss.

A couple have turned the other cheek to tradition by getting married - in a naked wedding.

Melanie Schachner, 26, and Rene Schachner, 31, had racked their brains to come up with something so memorable for their big day that they would never forget.

The groom and not-so-blushing bride decided to strip off and get married in the nude in front of their family and friends.

They walked down the aisle in a register office service in Feldkirchen, Austria, before celebrating with a reception in a nearby castle.


Melanie wore a traditional veil and white high heels. Her breasts were exposed but a flesh-coloured thong covered her nether-regions.

The groom, however, remained totally nude throughout the service, using only a top hat to cover his modesty when posing for wedding pictures.

Thankfully for the couple, the registrar managed to keep her embarrassment under control and make it through the reading of the vows.

Melanie said: 'We're not ashamed of our bodies and we wanted to do something different. It certainly saved on a wedding dress.'

In 2009 Australian couple Ellie Barton and Phil Hendicott, who conducted their nuptials in the nude back in 2009.

They won a radio competition which awarded them a free wedding - as long as they both wore nothing at all.

But their 250 wedding guests were allowed clothes.

Celebrating the wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton in their own inimitable style, bosses at Legoland have depicted the happy couple in miniature bricks.

It took a team of model makers at Legoland Windsor over 30 hours to build the tribute to William and Kate's nuptials - depicting them at the palace gates surrounded by crowds and members of the royal family - using 10,000 bricks.

Each of the 10cm tall figures is said to have taken someone almost an hour to make and they include Lego brick versions of guests including, David and Victoria Beckham, Paul McCartney and Elton John.

If you look closely you will also see Lego versions of the Queen, other members of the Royal Family and even a few brick Corgis.

The model of Buckingham Palace used another 160,000 individual bricks and was built on a 1:50 scale and took 550 hours to build.

Sue Kemp, Divisional Director of Legoland Windsor commented: "We’re proud to announce that it’s our 15th birthday this year and what better way to celebrate it than to pay homage to such an amazing royal occasion.



"After all, we’re based in Windsor which is well known for its royal connections!"

Towering head and shoulders above her parents, this giant teenager is the tallest in the world at a whopping 6ft 10 in and she could still be growing.

Weighing in at 20.5 stone, Malee Duangdee from eastern Thailand knew she was different from a young age, growing much faster than her school friends.



At the age of nine, her mother, Ji, 40, took her to see a doctor because she noticed a difference between her daughter and her friends and she wanted to make sure there was nothing seriously wrong with her.

Medics found a brain tumour that was pressing on a nerve. This caused a hormone imbalance which meant she never stopped growing - and now she has to have an injection that costs £2,000 every three months to control her growth.



Her height brought the 19-year-old problems while she was at school and she suffered from bullies and has memories of a lifetime of loneliness.

She said: 'I used to feel like a freak, schoolchildren used to bully me and call me names. But since leaving school I've tried to feel more comfortable with who I am. I've got used to life on my own, but it's hard.'


As a result of her tumour, Malee has lost her sight. 'I've been tall for as long as I can remember and taking medication is part of my daily life.

'But as I've got older my eyesight has got worse and it's really difficult for me to get around.'

Her mother said that they try to do their best by their daughter, but they struggle financially: 'The injections have really helped to control her growth but they are expensive.

Most of her time is now spent with her family, particularly her three-year-old sister, Daoruang.

'I help my mother around the house and cook meals. I don't do much.

'I've never had a boyfriend. I don't think marriage is possible for someone like me, I'm just too different.

Malee was officially recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest girl in January 2009 knocking Brazilian Elisany Silva off the top spot. She was just 6ft 9in tall.

A penis shaped sign marks an otherwise nondescript building letting visitors know they are entering the Icelandic Phallological Museum in Husavik, about 298 miles northeast of Reykjavik. According to their website, “it is probably the only museum in the world to contain a collection of phallic specimens.” Probably.

Inside, visitors can admire a collection of 261 well-preserved penises from 90 different species. From a 1.7 meter tall sperm whale member to a 2 mm hamster penis, they are all displayed in glass jars full of formaldehyde or mounted on walls.


The collection is the brainchild of owner Sigurdur Hjartarson, who started out with a single bull’s penis. At that time, it was an odd hobby (!) and over the years, other penises (penii?) have been added to the collection, donated by cooperative hunters and biologists.

The only species not presented in the collection is the homosapiens, although that will likely change in the future. Four men have already pledged to donate their penises to the museum to have them preserved for posterity, after their deaths. For now, the only representation of the human penis is a life size plastic mould of a 52 year old American, who is one of the prospective donors.

Interest in the museum is increasing – last summer 6000 visitors dropped by – and Hjartarson has even begun to make a profit off his collection.

On April 12, 2011 the museum installed its first human specimen. Patron Páll Arason donated his penis to the museum on his death. Arason is described as a former tourism worker who died on January 5, 2011, in the nearby town of Akureyri at the age of 95. Thorvaldur Ingvarsson, the medical director of Akureyri's hospital, didn't give a cause of death but said the specimen was removed from the body under the supervision of a doctor.