Tallest waterfall kayaked by a woman

Christie Glissmeyer, 31, of Hood River, Oregon, a student and part-time bar worker, who is part of Femme 45, a ladies' kayaking adventure team, plummeted 82 feet off Metlako Falls at Eagle Creek, Oregon - setting the new world record for the Tallest waterfall kayaked by a woman.

Speaking of her new world record, she said: "It was about double the size of any waterfall I had previously run.

"The horizon line was very intimidating and it looked like the river was dropping off the face of the earth. It took a lot of concentration to keep my nerves under control so that I wouldn't make a mistake.

"But halfway down I was enveloped by the veil of water around me and the landing was surprisingly soft. It was a very exciting day."

The incredible feat added to Christie's already impressive repertoire of extreme sports trophies collected around the world.

In 2009 and 2008 she was undefeated in the Western Whitewater Championship racing series, Western US.

In 2008 she was Women's Champion of the Himalayan Whitewater Festival in Nepal, and in 2007 she scooped first place in the Teva Extreme Games, Italy.

Brave kayakers Christie Glissmeyer, 31, (a student), Kate Wagner, 29, (a mental health therapist) and Melissa DeCarlo, 30, (a certified public accountant ) take life to the limit with their daring antics down some of America's fastest and most dangerous rivers.

Together they form ladies' adventure team Femme 45 and recruit other daredevil women who want more excitement from their lives.

The group's name comes from the signature 45-second video clips they shoot to document and share their extreme experiences.

All three of the girls are actively involved with volunteering at some of the camps. Christie is volunteering as a safety boater, Kate is volunteering as a photographer, and Melissa is volunteering as a camp counsellor.

The previous Guinness world record for the tallest waterfall kayaked by women was 78-foot, set by Shannon Carroll in 1998.

Golden Girl Rue McClanahan dies at 76

The award-winning performer played feisty Southern belle Blanche in the popular series.

McClanahan, who underwent heart bypass surgery last year, is the third of the main cast members to pass away.

Only Betty White remains, following the deaths of Estelle Getty and Bea Arthur, who died in 2008 and 2009.

Drag queen mother

White, 88, recently hosted Saturday Night Live, and fans are lobbying for her to present next year's Academy Awards.

"I treasured our relationship," she said. "It hurts more than I ever thought it would, if that's even possible."

McClanahan had a varied stage career before landing the role of Blanche Devereaux in 1985 when The Golden Girls hit the small screen.

The actress said of her seductive character: "She is in love with life and loves men.

"I think she has an attitude towards women that's competitive. I think basically she's insecure."

Blanche always referred to her father as "Big Daddy" and was the perpetual target of her housemates.

McClanahan won an Emmy for her role in 1987.

Five years later, after The Golden Girls ended, she co-starred alongside White and Getty in a short-lived spin-off called Golden Palace.

Earlier in her career, she had appeared with Arthur in the 1970s sitcom Maude as her best friend and sidekick.

In later years, she continued to appear on TV and on stage, playing the elderly mother of a drag queen in 2008 serial Sordid Lives, which included the filming of a sex scene.

The actress was recovering from knee surgery at the time, but still hung onto a window sill when the bed she was using broke.

McClanahan, who was born in Oklahoma, married six times and wrote a memoir in 2007 entitled My First Five Husbands... And The Ones Who Got Away.

Cyclone Phet takes new direction

The eye of cyclone Phet is 200 kilometers away from Masirah, an eastern Island of Oman which has been hit by heavy rains and strong winds.

According to Arab TV, the authorities have completed evacuation of the people from Masirah Island and areas on the eastern coast of Oman.

Heavy rains lashed Oman's areas along its east coast particularly Masirah Island.

The cyclone, rated at a factor of 3.5 on a scale of five, was moving northwestwardly at a speed of eight kilometres (five miles) an hour. Winds were blowing at a 180 kilometres (112 miles) an hour.

The capital Muscat further north could be affected by Saturday, authorities said.

But Muscat airport was still open with no intention to suspend flights, Transport Minister Salem al-Nuaimi said.

Phet was expected to veer towards the Indian and Pakistani coasts, sparing Oman a devastating impact similar to that of cyclone Gonu. It tore through Oman in 2007, killing at least 49 people and causing damage worth 3.9 billion dollars.

The cyclone is expected to hit Pakistan’s coastal areas on Sunday at a medium pace. It’s speed could touch 34 to 47 nautical miles with tides up to 3 to 5 meter high.

Heavy rains with strong winds are expected in the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan in the next 84 hours.