Highland Heartbeat

Homecoming message to be taken to 114 million American households...more...

Highland police seeking M'ville man for questioning in Friday's ...

Find Indiana and Illinois breaking news, sports, features, business, opinions, multimedia, jobs, real estate, cars and more in The Times...more...

Highland Senior Center offers university classes - News 24/7

The Highland Senior Center offers non-credited university classes, including brain fitness, bible study, making common sense out of uncommon science, writing, oil painting, wood carving, sign language, and much more. .....more...

Eating L.A.: Cafe de Leche: Highland Park's caffeine oasis

Cafe de Leche: Highland Park's caffeine oasis. Some longtime NELA folks probably see the opening of Cafe de Leche as the beginning of the end: a sleek modern coffee spot with Intelligentsia Coffee, full of fashionably tousled young .....more...

CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Two escape Highland Park ...

Two people escaped a house fire without injury late Saturday night in Topeka's Highland Park neighborhood...more...

Highland - DUI Traffic Collision | The Inland Empire Crime Blog

The driver of the vehicle, Amy Rothenay, hit a 6' concrete wall which resulted in the damage of approximately 15' of concrete. A portion of the concrete wall....more...

Two injured in Highland shooting :: Local News :: Post-Tribune

HIGHLAND -- Two men were injured Friday night in a shooting in the 2800 block of Highway Avenue, and two suspects are in custody. According to Police Cmdr. George Georgeff, the two male victims and their assailants apparently knew each .....more...

Highland Cafe in Malden Closes Its Doors | Boston Restaurant Talk

An old-school neighborhood place and Malden's oldest restaurant, the Highland Cafe served countless meals mostly to a loyal working-class crowd over the years, with one of the specialties at the Highland being its simple thin-crust .....more...

TICA Highland fling show - Pet Forums Community

this weekend in Glasgow Toby earned the title of Supreme Grand Champion!!!!!! This is TICA's highest award and to do this at such a young age 10...more...

Highland Heartbeat | OntheSilverSide.co.uk

Highland Heartbeat,a Scottish music entertainment programme, will capitalise on the interest in Scottish culture and Homecoming 2009 when it airs across the US...more...

BBC News Search: highland (20)

Different age, same controversies

Age old problems and issues link today's credit crunched Scotland with the 1929 Great Crash.

Fresh sightings of wayward whale

Further sightings of deep water whale three weeks after it strayed into a Highlands loch.

Hopes of sun rising on new orders

Bosses of a Harris Tweed mill are optimistic of winning fresh orders from Japan.

Rise in passengers at 10 airports

A publicly-owned airports company is reporting a slight increase at most sites, but a fall at one.

Man accused of officer murder bid

A 28-year-old appears in court accused of attempting to murder a Highlands police officer.

Tweed workers on three day week

Workers at the Harris Tweed industry's largest mill are to be put on a three day week.

Probe into unlicensed tattooists

Police and health experts are advising people against using unlicensed tattooists operating in the Highlands.

Ceremony to mark Afghan transfer

A ceremony takes place marking the official transfer of operations in Afghanistan to a new battle group.

Watchful eye on lost loch whale

Experts are observing a deep water whale species which is lost in a Highlands sea loch.

Deer cull plan to boost woodland

A ban on the feeding of deer in winter and an increase in the numbers culled is proposed to revive forests.

Oiled seabirds still being found

Birds covered in oil continue to be found following a mystery pollution incident in firth.

Two new care homes get go-ahead

Highland councillors grant outline planning permission for new care homes for the elderly.

Wolf trap added to history record

The remains of a pit used to trap wolves that once roamed the Highlands is added to a database.

Sentencing of ex-teacher delayed

A former teacher convicted of sexually abusing children in his care is now to be sentenced at the end of the month.

More crofting areas for Scotland

Arran, Bute, Moray and Greater and Little Cumbrae are to become designated crofting areas.

Beer money to save red squirrels

A new ale is launched which will see part of the proceeds from sales going towards protecting a rare mammal.

Lego comics artist to join Hi-Ex

An illustrator of Lego Bionicle comics and another artist are the latest to sign up for a convention.

Aye of the tiger as pair go north

Two Amur tigers are relocated from Edinburgh Zoo to the Highland Wildlife Park.

Hotel boss slams planning system

The chief executive of one of Scotland's largest leisure groups calls for Scotland's planning laws to be overhauled.

Cliff fall survivor in marathon

A look at the runners and numbers involved in the Baxters Loch Ness Festival of Running.

African Safari Boating And Wildlife Safaris

If you are looking for an African safari adventure, you will often find your self spoilt for choices. There is Kenya with it's famous wildlife including the great wilderbeest migration in masai mara. Then there is southern Africa with a lot to offer. If you are a water person then, paddling up creeks, gliding across placid lakes and pushing through reeds while dodging crocodiles is an exciting way of seeing wildlife, not so much for glimpses of crocs, or hippos (which may just be showing their nostrils), but for the animals, so you can get much closer. Canoeing or boating safaris are most rewarding in semi-arid areas, whose rivers and lakes are obviously of paramount importance to local wildlife.

Sadly kenya's masai mara and the famous mara where the wildebeest migration occurs each year doesn't offer that to visitors.

In West Africa drifting along in a canoe on the River Niger is a major thrill, especially on the edge of Niger’s portion of hyenas and jackals can be seen. Guinea’s parc National du Haut Niger is more wooded, and gives you a chance of spotting chimpanzees. Gabon is excellent for pirogue trips, with boats available in coastal Akanda National Park, and inland at Minkebe Lope National Parks. In East Africa, Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve is the main place for boating, which can be combined with bush walks.

You’re spoilt for choice in Southern Africa. Boating safaris in Zambia’s South Lungwa National Park are very popular, and the country also allows canoeing safaris in the swampy Kafue National Park (great for water-loving antelopes), and along the Zambezi. In the latter you can extend your trip over several days, spending nights under canvas. Neighbouring Zimbabwe also offers Zambezi canoeing expeditions, as part of trips to Mana pools National Park. To the north, Malawi’s Liwonde National Park is an exceptional place for seeing elephants, hippos, crocs and birds from a boat, while boats are also the best way to get around the swampy wildlife sanctuaries of Namibia’s Capriivi Strip.

If you use a horse or an elephant as a as a means of transport you’ll be often be able to approach other species much more closely than you would if you were on foot or in a car. Neither horseback nor elephant-back safaris are particularly widespread in africa, however; in general horses don’t have too good a time of it in Africa thanks to sleeping sickness and other parasitic diseases. Good places for horseback safaris include Kenya's masai mara, Botswana’s elephant-packed Tuli and Mashatu Game Reserves, Northern Malawi’s inspiring Nyika Plateau, Zimbabwe’s Lake Mutirikwe National Park (where you can get close to white rhinos), the alphine highlands of Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains National Park, and Swaziland’s Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary. There are also horseback safaris at masai mara.

Unlike their Asian cousins, the African elephant has never been too partial to the ideal of having to lug people around on their backs, so the recent introduction of elephant – back safaris in Zambia (Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park), South Africa (Pilanesburg National Park), and in Botswana’s diminutive Mokolodi Nature Reserve, owes unwitting thanks to the days ivory poaching. Orphaned elephants rescued by sanctuaries, and their offspring, have grown up to be trusting of humans.

Lastly don’t forget camels. In Niger’s Air Mountains, where small population of Savanna animals still survive, you can spend days on camelback exploring the edges of the Tenere sand dunes.

Actually, “days” isn’t quite true after a few hours in the saddle, you’ll probably find walking a rather more comfortable experience.

Are You Too Old For Cheap Travel Insurance?

Remember the days when grandparents might toddle off to the coast for a holiday? When the most adventurous trip they might take was a sight-seeing bus through the Highlands? Those days are long gone for many senior citizens and those over 65 are just as likely to be on the ski slopes as those half their age. Many seniors have just got to the point in their lives when they can kick back and relax - and their relaxing often involves deep sea diving and hikes through the wilds of a jungle.

The travel industry has made great strides in catering to older travelers, with tours and cruises designed especially with seniors in mind. Unfortunately, there's one segment of the industry that hasn't managed to adapt to the changing needs and desires of such an important sector of the travel and tourism market. Travel insurance for older adults can cost up to three times as much as it does for those in their twenties and thirties, if it's even available.

You'll pay more for travel insurance if you are 65 or over.

In fact, the moment you turn 65, you can expect your premiums for travel insurance to literally double. Nearly every insurance company that offers single trip and annual travel insurance charges far more to insure over-65's than those who are under 65, and many refuse to cover them at all. It gets even worse as you get older, with premiums taking another big jump at 70, and if your 80 years or older, your only option for travel insurance may well be one of the specialist insurers.

The reason for that, according to the insurers themselves, is that travelers over 65 are more than twice as likely to make claims on their travel insurance policy, and that when they do, those claims are often many times more expensive to pay out than claims made by younger travelers. In fact, they say, it is nine times more expensive to insure travelers over 65 than it is to insure those under 65. While older travelers are actually less likely to be injured while abroad, they are far more likely to become ill - and when they do, the costs are often high.

How to save on travel insurance for over-65s

It should come as no surprise that the best advice is to shop around. Companies that offer the best prices for younger travelers don't necessarily offer the best deals for those who've reached their golden years. Leave behind your feelings of loyalty and think about your pocket, and how many more souvenirs you can bring home for the grandkids with the savings you'll make. Here are a few more specific suggestions. Be aware that rates can change, so be sure to do your own research before buying.

- Don't automatically expect your travel advisor or tour operator to offer the best deals on travel cover. Because it's so convenient, when asked if they want travel insurance many customers just say "Sure, tack it on!". It's often the MOST expensive insurance you'll find.

- Do check with the company that insures your home and motor vehicles, but shop beyond them too. In some cases, though, you may get a discounted deal if you've been a good customer and low risk for years.

- Reverse the usual advice given to youngsters - single trip coverage is often less expensive for seniors than an annual policy that covers you for all travel abroad.

- Don't go without it. The simple fact of the matter is that as you get older, the chances of your being taken ill while abroad do increase.