Betty Lindley

Betty Lindley, Actress

flooding

Swans explore the Abbey Fields caravan park after the River Thames flooded on 8 January 2014 in Chersey, England. Parts of the United Kingdom are entering a third week of flooding and stormy conditions

Be Careful in Sochi

The U.S. State Department said Friday that events like the upcoming Winter Olympics in Russia are “an attractive target for terrorists” and advised travelers to the 2014 Games to be vigilant.

The State Department travel alert says Russian authorities are “taking appropriate security measures,” and there is no specific threat to U.S. citizens. But it warns that terror groups in Russia have called for attacks on the Sochi Olympics. U.S. citizens “should remain attentive regarding their personal security at all times,” the alert says. Other areas of concern include: Sochi’s untested medical care system in an area that has never hosted a major event like the Olympics, petty theft of cash or valuables, and the potential for protests to turn violent.

The alert also points lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender travelers to its LGBT travel information site before heading to Russia, which has come under fire for its record on gay rights that includes a recent law that bans “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations.”