Latest news with #Wyoming-based
Middle East Eye
2 days ago
- Business
- Middle East Eye
Ex-CIA officer running Gaza aid security advised Boston Consulting Group
Former CIA paramilitary officer Phil Reilly, who heads a private military company that is guarding Israel's newly set up food distribution sites in Gaza, was a senior advisor at the US consultancy that is the latest partner to withdraw from the controversial aid project. The Boston Consulting Group admitted last week that it was involved in developing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), but has since halted its involvement and distanced itself as 110 Palestinians have been killed and 583 wounded trying to access aid during GHF's 10 days of operations, according to government sources. But Reilly's role with BCG, which ended only six months ago, raises questions about whether the consultancy was also involved in developing the security side of the aid operation. Questions about the firm's role come as BCG announced on Thursday that it had fired two partners for 'unauthorised work' in relation to GHF. BCG said the partners 'failed to disclose the full nature of the work during the client acceptance process' and carried out subsequent unauthorised work in violation of company policies and protocols. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The firm said the subsequent work had "lacked visible multi-lateral support" and that it has engaged outside counsel to investigate its involvement in the project. 'We deeply regret that in this situation we did not live up to our standards. We are committed to taking all necessary steps to address the issues identified in the ongoing investigation,' the company said. MEE asked BCG on Friday whether the firm was involved in the security operations to support GHF, what role it had played with the foundation and who had asked the firm to get involved initially. BCG directed MEE to its statement from Thursday which did not answer the questions. Consulting on Gaza A 29-year veteran of the CIA, Reilly served as a senior advisor at BCG for eight years starting in January 2017, just as US President Donald Trump's first term started, according to his LinkedIn account. It was early last year, while still holding his advisory role, that Reilly reportedly first began discussing Gaza aid with Israeli civilians in early 2024. Later in 2024, he worked on a study for Orbis, another US consultancy, which reportedly outlined a plan to outsource food aid delivery to private companies and foundations, the NYT reported. Reilly's advisory role with BCG ended in December, a month after Safe Reach Solutions (SRS), the private military company now operating in Gaza, was registered in Wyoming, a known US tax haven. Mercenary firm set to oversee Gaza aid for Israel goes on LinkedIn hiring spree Read More » Public records show that SRS's registered agent, as first reported by All-Source Intelligence, is the Wyoming-based wealth management fund, Two Oceans Trust LLC. But the public records fail to reveal many more details about SRS, including its funders. It was reported this week that McNally Capital, a Chicago-based private equity firm, has an "economic interest" in SRS, although the scale of the interest remains unclear. The lack of clarity about funding is also true of GHF which is registered with scant few other details in Delaware, another notorious US tax haven. SRS is understood to be the main company currently securing the food distribution sites that are part of Israeli and American moves to take control of aid distribution in the enclave, which have been beset by controversy. The UN and international aid agencies have sounded the alarm for weeks over concerns that the plans which have unfolded at pace failed to meet humanitarian principles and would encourage forced displacement of Palestinians. Hours before GHF was to start distributing aid in Gaza late last month, executive director Jake Wood resigned over concerns that it was impossible for the organisation to operate independently or adhere to strict humanitarian principles. Wood was replaced this week by Johnnie Moore, an evangelical leader who has advised Trump on interfaith issues. Moore has denied reports that Palestinians were killed and injured while seeking aid at GHF's sites in Gaza and said he was demanding results "with Silicon Valley precision".
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pictures: Memorial Day 2025
Scenes from Memorial Day weekend 2025, including at the the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, Friday, May 23. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) HONORING VETERANS — U.S. Army infantry veteran Duane Hunt gets a happy greeting from Jora, a therapy dog from Orlando International Airport's Paw Pilots program during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, Friday, May 23, 2025. Hunt served three years in Vietnam. Jora comes to Orlando from the Wyoming-based Alliance of Therapy Dogs — a international registry of certified therapy dog teams — that supports airports, hospitals, schools and assisted-living facilities. Jora's handler is volunteer Elena Hoelscher. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) Members of the U.S. Public Health Service present a wreath at the Central Florida Veterans Memorial Park during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, Friday, May 23, 2025. Military leaders and elected officials gathered at the VA for the ceremony with several hundred veterans to kick off the Memorial Day weekend. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) HONORING VETERANS — Members of the U.S. Public Health Service salute while presenting a wreath at the Central Florida Veterans Memorial Park during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, Friday, May 23, 2025. Military leaders and elected officials gathered at the VA for the ceremony with several hundred veterans to kick off the Memorial Day weekend. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) HONORING VETERANS — Ruben Martin from American Legion Post 331 Honor Guard stands at attention during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, Friday, May 23, 2025. Military leaders and elected officials gathered at the VA for the ceremony with several hundred veterans to kick off the Memorial Day weekend. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) HONORING VETERANS — Members of the U.S. Public Health Service salute while presenting a wreath at the Central Florida Veterans Memorial Park during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, Friday, May 23, 2025. Military leaders and elected officials gathered at the VA for the ceremony with several hundred veterans to kick off the Memorial Day weekend. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) HONORING VETERANS — Veteran Ruben Martin from American Legion Post 331 Honor Guard carries the American flag during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, Friday, May 23, 2025. Military leaders and elected officials gathered at the VA for the ceremony with several hundred veterans to kick off the Memorial Day weekend. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) HONORING VETERANS — Members of the U.S. Public Health Service salute during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, Friday, May 23, 2025. Military leaders and elected officials gathered at the VA for the ceremony with several hundred veterans to kick off the Memorial Day weekend. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) HONORING VETERANS — Chaplain David Coggins holds an American flag during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, Friday, May 23, 2025. Military leaders and elected officials gathered at the VA for the ceremony with several hundred veterans to kick off the Memorial Day weekend. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) HONORING VETERANS — U.S. Army infantry veteran Duane Hunt gets a happy greeting from Jora, a therapy dog from Orlando International Airport's Paw Pilots program during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, Friday, May 23, 2025. Hunt served three years in Vietnam. Jora comes to Orlando from the Wyoming-based Alliance of Therapy Dogs —a international registry of certified therapy dog teams— that supports airports, hospitals, schools and assisted-living facilities. Jora's handler is volunteer Elena Hoelscher. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) HONORING VETERANS — From left, Julie Lushetsky, Kasey Borders and Tim Gifford, of VFW Post 2093, perform during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, Friday, May 23, 2025. Military leaders and elected officials gathered at the VA for the ceremony with several hundred veterans to kick off the Memorial Day weekend. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) HONORING VETERANS — Congressman Max Frost delivers remarks during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, Friday, May 23, 2025. Military leaders and elected officials gathered at the VA for the ceremony with several hundred veterans to kick off the Memorial Day weekend. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) HONORING VETERANS — U.S. Army infantry veteran Duane Hunt speaks to Congressman Max Frost during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, Friday, May 23, 2025. Hunt served three years in Vietnam. Military leaders and elected officials gathered at the VA for the ceremony with several hundred veterans to kick off the Memorial Day weekend. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) HONORING VETERANS — Keynote speaker Cindy Van Bibber, director of the Cape Canaveral National Cemetary, delivers remarks during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, Friday, May 23, 2025. Military leaders and elected officials gathered at the VA for the ceremony with several hundred veterans to kick off the Memorial Day weekend. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) Opening on Memorial Day weekend, fireworks launch over the new Universal Epic theme park, Wednesday. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) Opening on Memorial Day weekend, fireworks launch over the new Universal Epic theme park, Wednesday. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) Show Caption1 of 16HONORING VETERANS — U.S. Army infantry veteran Duane Hunt, left, watches as members of the U.S. Public Health Service present a wreath during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, Friday, May 23, 2025. Hunt served three years in Vietnam. Military leaders and elected officials gathered at the VA for the ceremony with several hundred veterans to kick off the Memorial Day weekend. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)Expand
Miami Herald
23-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Walmart customers get bad news (Trader Joe's fans will be glad)
There's no accounting for taste, so the saying goes. Costco vs. Sam's Club. Walmart vs. Target. Odds are you're in one camp or the other. When it comes to choosing a grocery store, people have particularly strong opinions. And now we have the receipts to prove it. App maker Solitaired recently analyzed seven million Google Reviews, offering insights into customer satisfaction ratings for various grocery stores. Don't miss the move: SIGN UP for TheStreet's FREE Daily newsletter Solitaired examined the top 30 grocery chains in the U.S. across 3,000 store locations in the country's 100 most populated cities. The company focused on Google reviews with three stars or fewer, isolating common frustrations related to price, selection, wait times, and staffing. What the analysis revealed just might change where you shop next. Image source:Trader Joe's continues to capture shopper loyalty. Of the 188 locations analyzed, the budget-friendly chain known for its unique snacks, customer service, seasonal specialty items (and of course those viral mini totes) earned an average Google-review rating of 4.65 out of 5 stars, giving it the overall crown. Even though Trader Joe's is committed to its low-tech ways, and shows no signs of planning to improve its notoriously terrible parking lots, it was the only national chain to break into the top of list. "We found that Trader Joe's was the only chain to rank highly for best grocery stores alongside small business grocery stores," Solitaired Co-Founder Neal Taparia told TheStreet exclusively. "Their emphasis on customer service, good value, and curation of great products creates a compelling experience for shoppers." In fact, Trader Joe's may be the only chain that feels more like a small-grocer experience, Taparia said. "From our data and analysis, with Trader Joe's, you really get the best of a chain store with the best of a mom-and-pop grocery store." Related: Trader Joe's making huge mistake not copying Walmart, Target The Solitaired analysis also identified the grocery stores with the lowest customer ratings. King Soopers, owned by Kroger, came in last place with an average of just 3.84 stars. The Colorado- and Wyoming-based chain was criticized for long lines, poor service, and inconsistent product quality. Walmart, despite its massive footprint of over 4,000 U.S. stores, fared only slightly better with a 3.95-star average across 525 locations analyzed. Reviewers frequently cited high prices, unhelpful staff, and chaotic store layouts as top complaints. Even more damning, Walmart makes up 44% of the worst 50 stores in America. "If I were Walmart, I would take a 'less is more' approach," said Taparia. "How can you make shopping simple with fewer but better products, all priced at a great value?" In a close contest with Trader Joe's, Publix, a Florida-based regional supermarket, came in second for high marks, with a 4.5-star average. Next in line was WinCo, an employee-owned chain with 142 locations across the U.S., earning 4.47 stars. These findings closely mirror the 2025 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey, which also placed Trader Joe's and Publix at the top of its rankings, based on feedback from over 41,000 shoppers. Related: Trader Joe's shares new locations coming soon A few other key findings from the analysis: Trader Joe's made up 66% of the 50 best-rated grocery stores in the U.S. Walmart ranks as the second-worst grocery chain, despite its ubiquity. New York City had the most entries in the bottom 50 stores for both quality and pricing; Jersey City also had low marks. Florida is home to two of the nation's highest-rated grocery stores. And in a shout-out to the grocery scene in Florida, it turns out it's a grocery-shopping paradise and home to two of the country's most-loved markets. The highest-rated individual grocery stores were the local spots Mazzaro's Italian Market in St. Petersburg and Freshfields Farm in Orlando; both received a near perfect 4.8 star rating. Third-place honors went to Glorioso's Italian Market in Milwaukee and Choi's Asian Food Market in Louisville, Kentucky. As for the worst grocery store, that title goes to the Safeway on 40th St. in Washington, D.C. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Doctor reveals what you should always do two hours before flying to avoid getting sick
Travelers should pop zinc and vitamin C two hours before arriving at crowded transit hubs like airports and bus terminals, according to Wyoming-based hospital physician Dr. Steve Burgess. Airplanes, trains, and buses pack numerous people into enclosed spaces with recirculated air, and adding the stress of travel, interrupted sleep and exposure to new environments creates the 'perfect storm' of conditions to weaken the immune system. Taking the germ-blasting supplements within the crucial window is a critical component that often goes ignored and gives your immune system a targeted boost to battle a bug when it needs it most, explained Burgess, who often sees physicians fall ill at the medical conferences he leads for CME Vacations. 'Think of it like putting up your umbrella right before walking into the rain, rather than waiting until you're already soaked,' he said. 'These supplements temporarily enhance certain immune functions, but that enhancement only lasts for a few hours.' For long journeys with connections, consider taking another dose before each new flight or train ride, the doc added, but within reason. 'I've seen many common misconceptions among travelers — from mega-dosing vitamins throughout entire trips to exclusively blaming airplane air quality while ignoring surface contact,' said Burgess. Zinc helps prevent viruses from multiplying and infecting the respiratory tract, and even has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that can protect against autoimmune diseases and allergies. Taking zinc within 24 hours of onset can help reduce the duration and severity of colds, studies show. Another tip is to take zinc lozenges rather than tablets. The lozenges give the mighty mineral direct contact with the throat and respiratory tract, where many infections begin. Vitamin C boosts various cellular functions of the immune system that help prevent infections. 'It doesn't require expensive supplements or complicated regimens,' Burgess noted. 'Just common, affordable supplements taken at precisely the right time.' He recommends taking 15 to 25 milligrams of zinc and 500 to 1000 milligrams of vitamin C. Constant high doses can cause digestive issues, he added, and hand washing remains necessary. Also, keeping hydrated will help the supplements work more effectively and counters the dehydrating effects of flying. His tips come as a record-breaking 45 million-plus people will travel at least 50 miles from home over Memorial Day Weekend, many by plane, train, bus and on cruises, AAA announced this week.
New York Post
17-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Do this two hours before traveling to avoid getting sick: doctor
Travelers should pop zinc and vitamin C two hours before arriving at crowded transit hubs like airports and bus terminals, according to Wyoming-based hospital physician Dr. Steve Burgess. Airplanes, trains, and buses pack numerous people into enclosed spaces with recirculated air, and adding the stress of travel, interrupted sleep and exposure to new environments creates the 'perfect storm' of conditions to weaken the immune system. Taking the germ-blasting supplements within the crucial window is a critical component that often goes ignored and gives your immune system a targeted boost to battle a bug when it needs it most, explained Burgess, who often sees physicians fall ill at the medical conferences he leads for CME Vacations. Advertisement 4 Airplanes packed with people add to the 'perfect storm' of conditions that weaken the immune system during travel. stnazkul – 'Think of it like putting up your umbrella right before walking into the rain, rather than waiting until you're already soaked,' he said. 'These supplements temporarily enhance certain immune functions, but that enhancement only lasts for a few hours.' For long journeys with connections, consider taking another dose before each new flight or train ride, the doc added, but within reason. Advertisement 'I've seen many common misconceptions among travelers — from mega-dosing vitamins throughout entire trips to exclusively blaming airplane air quality while ignoring surface contact,' said Burgess. 4 Burgess recommends taking 15 to 25 milligrams of zinc and 500 to 1000 milligrams of vitamin C. sonyachny – Zinc helps prevent viruses from multiplying and infecting the respiratory tract, and even has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that can protect against autoimmune diseases and allergies. Taking zinc within 24 hours of onset can help reduce the duration and severity of colds, studies show. Advertisement Another tip is to take zinc lozenges rather than tablets. The lozenges give the mighty mineral direct contact with the throat and respiratory tract, where many infections begin. 4 Dr. Steve Burgess started CME Vacations to offer medical professionals opportunities for continued learning. CME Vacations/ Facebook Vitamin C boosts various cellular functions of the immune system that help prevent infections. 'It doesn't require expensive supplements or complicated regimens,' Burgess noted. 'Just common, affordable supplements taken at precisely the right time.' Advertisement He recommends taking 15 to 25 milligrams of zinc and 500 to 1000 milligrams of vitamin C. 4 Burgess recommends taking another dose on lengthy trips with connecting flights. xy – Constant high doses can cause digestive issues, he added, and hand washing remains necessary. Also, keeping hydrated will help the supplements work more effectively and counters the dehydrating effects of flying. His tips come as a record-breaking 45 million-plus people will travel at least 50 miles from home over Memorial Day Weekend, many by plane, train, bus and on cruises, AAA announced this week.
