Los Angeles-based performer Hollis Jane, who refers to herself as a little person, revealed on her blog: 'I was a bear in Miley Cyrus’ VMA performance and. . . for the first time I felt truly ashamed of being a little person. Standing on that stage, in that costume was one of the most degrading things I felt like I could ever do,' she said, singling out another offense to add to Miss Cyrus' recent controversies -- one based on size.

Texas girl Shea Shawhan, who is 18 years old but has the mental capacity of an 8-year-old, has been receiving texts threatening to rape and kill her. Shea's mother, Kerri Riddell, believes that a group of kids from her daughter's school are responsible for the harassing text messages, but it is difficult to identify the senders because they are using bogus numbers generated by Internet apps.

The Waterfall Mansion in New York City's Upper East Side recently went back on the market with an asking price of $39million. The home was originally constructed in 1899 as a carriage house, but was recently remodeled and now has a more modern look - including a 20-foot waterfall on the first floor. Other features of the home include a 1,000-bottle wine cellar, in-home spa and gym, rooftop garden, and a private gallery space.

Mark Knapp, 48, and Elizabeth Pester, 33 (pictured inset in real life and main as their Second Life avatars), of Oklahoma, have been charged with child neglect and abuse after their daughter landed in a hospital weighing 13lbs.

Alaskan malamutes race adorable little baby down a hallway as he learns to crawl. The four legged friends somehow manage a decent crawl and eventually catch up to the struggling baby, who does seem to mind losing to his furry pals.

In a court petition filed on Friday by Hennepin County prosecutors, it was revealed that the boy is well-known to police and child services. The boy is not being named by MailOnline because he is a juvenile. In the most recent getaway, the nine-year-old was taking out the trash when he decided to head for Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport and boarded a flight to Las Vegas.

Jenna Naylor (inset), of Arizona, so far has undergone two surgeries to reduce the swelling on her brain, and she is expected to remain sedated for at least two more days. The Naylor family have been keeping vigil by their daughter's bedside, with her burly dad painting Jenna's nails blue - her favorite color - just like he did when she was a little girl (pictured).

Hillary Clinton has supported Saudi women who this week defied their kingdom's ban on female driving.
The former U.S. secretary of state told an event in London: 'I'm all for it. It is an issue that is symbolic.'

The scandalous life of Unity Mitford (pictured) is unveiled in a new biography. It goes against the aristocratic family's attempts to paint her relationship with Hitler as 'youthful fancy'. Author David Mitford claims to have reliable sources that show there was nothing naive or romantic about her antics. Two years before meeting Hitler at his favourite restaurant, Unity met the married Oswald Mosley at a party in 1932, when he was having an affair with her married sister, Diana. It was there aged 18 that Unity is said to have lost her virginity to the high profile fascist. Years later she would lie spread-eagled tied to a bed, offering herself to Nazi soldiers as Horst-Wessel_lied played in the background.

The New American Family is a collection of family portraits reflective of the essence of the family in 21st century America. This family establishes itself across lines and defies definition.

Three players of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team have tested positive for the MRSA - a hard-to-treat infection resistant to most antibiotics. The team has decided not to name the player, but NFL.com reports that it is rookie cornerback Jonathan Banks. If so, Banks will be joining kicker Lawrence Tynes and guard Carl Nicks who both contracted the infection at summer training camp.

Britt Couturier, 19, who is studying at University of Maine in Farmington enjoys a full life and has 'supportive, amazing' friends. However it has been a hard road for the female-to-male transgender teen who was born Brittany (pictured left). Britt shared his story in the hope of helping other young people struggling with gender identity crisis.

Pictured relaxed and smiling after a successful day's shooting at the home of Edinburgh society stalwarts Alan and Patrea More Nisbett, in Edinburgh, nine giggling women pose to proudly show off the fruit of their efforts. Meet Pippa's pheasant pals fitness guru Charlotte More Nisbett, 1, business mogul Annabel Kilner, 2, boho beauty Frances Trahar, 5, James Blunt's ex Verity Buchanan, 6, officer's wife Rose Green, 7, TV executive Annabella Ward, 8, artist Leonora Sowerby, 9, and Chelsea tutor Kate Shand, 10.

Welcome to New York's first e-cigarette bar. The Henley Vaporium has just opened up among the pop-up galleries and boutiques on the border of NoLita and SOHO and is being hailed the 'hookah bar of the now'. Owner Talia Eisenberg even went as far tp say she wants the space to become 'like Starbucks'.
So what exactly is an e-cigarette bar?

Valerie Montoya is a student at Chaparral Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico and she has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. An unidentified female bus driver said that Valerie is no longer allowed on the bus, even though it is specifically designed for children with special needs.

Cypress, California-native Michael Olson, 23, was born without limbs but thanks to a specially-designed keyboard and mouse, he's become an ace gamer. Olson has been competing in and winning gaming competitions since 2001. His opponents find the fact that he plays with a handicap inspirational, but don't underestimate him as he's better than most people even without the aid of fingers and thumbs.

A 'fresh meats truck' filled with stuffed animals is Banksy's eleventh art piece for his month-long residency in New York City. New Yorkers reported seeing the truck Thursday afternoon, and it popped up again yesterday in the meatpacking district. Banksy took credit for the piece yesterday by posting a video of the truck to his YouTube account.

Mitt Romney and his wife Ann have received the go-ahead to raze their La Jolla beach-front house and build an 11,000-square-foot mansion. The California Coastal Commission voted today to allow the couple to demolish the 3,000-square-foot beach house for which they paid $12 million in 2008 in order to build the much larger home. It is the second time the couple has won permission to build the mansion after a neighbor challenged the original permit for the Romneys' plan for a two-storey home with a 4,500-square-foot basement.

Serbian bachelor Don Milisav Juan Gonzales Brzi, who claims to be 39, is looking for a 16-20-year-old wife to share his life of luxury with him in his mansion. In the candid photos the eligible man poses in everything from silk pyjamas to white suits and even thick furs. The images have gone viral in Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia, though it is sadly not known whether or not they proved a success.

Mark Zuckerberg has bought the four houses surrounding his $7million dollar home in Los Altos, California (above) but he doesn't plan on living in any of them. Instead he will be renting it out to the current residents as he reportedly bought the homes to avoid a developer doing the same thing.

The beatings take place during their brothers' initiation ceremonies which for them involve jumping over a line of 15 cattle. The women volunteer for the beatings which they say show how much they have suffered for their brothers and will remind them to help them when times are tough for the tribe.

New York-based photographer Leigh Ledare (inset), 36, is showcasing his series of erotic images of mother Tina (pictured in bed with the artist) at the Photographers' Gallery in London. In one, the middle-aged woman stares confidently into the camera as she removes her underwear, her legs spread wide in a pose that leaves little to the imagination. Meanwhile, others need little explanation beyond their titles, such as 'Mom Spread with Lamp' and 'Mom F***ing in Mirror'

Donovan Dickson, 24, (pictured with his students) an apparently popular teacher at Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey, plunged to his death from the New York side of the George Washington Bridge last Friday morning. On the same day, investigators arrived on campus to look into allegations of sex between a teacher and teenage student. Authorities have refused to say whether he was the target of the investigation by police.

A team of engineers has assembled a robot using artificial organs, limbs and other body parts that comes tantalizingly close to a true 'bionic man.'

Emily Graham, 32, (left) said the man paid for her flight from Madison, Wisconsin to St Louis, Missouri for September 21, claiming he wanted to get the ring (bottom right) appraised and buy it for his wife. But when she arrived, a car service drove her to an abandoned warehouse and a man robbed her of the ring, other jewelry, her laptop, phone, purse and shoes, before leaving her there, she said. Police are now looking for the suspect. They do not know his identity but have released this image, top right, of a 'person of interest' in the case.

The picture shows the principal of Pittsburg High School, in California, Todd Whitmire restraining the student by putting her in a headlock during a school fight. The student, Ashley Johnson, is now in a neck brace and said she was not fighting with anyone but was lying on the ground. But Principal Whitmire said the picture is being taken out of context and is not an accurate depiction of events.

Waitress Sarah Hoidahl, 21, paid the bill of two soldiers who sat down for their lunchbreak at a Concord restaurant. Hoidahl, a single mother, was working her Wednesday afternoon shift at Ruby Tuesday when the pair sat down to eat. They explained to Hoidahl that they were looking for something inexpensive because, due to the government shutdown, they'd been furloughed and were not being paid. She decided to help them out and instead of their bill, brought them a note explaining 'lunch is on me!'