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TORONTO — , a leading provider of conversational AI solutions for inbound telephone call management, is pleased to announce that it has commenced the Service Organization Control (“ ”) 2 Type I certification process. This significant milestone underscores Syntheia’s commitment to safeguarding customer data and upholding the highest standards of security and privacy. As part of this initiative, on October 18, 2024, Syntheia engaged Vanta Inc. (“ ”), a leader in continuous security monitoring and compliance automation. Leveraging Vanta’s platform, Syntheia is streamlining its SOC 2 Type I certification journey with real-time adherence to security best practices and the ability to identify risks before they escalate. This collaboration demonstrates Syntheia’s proactive approach to meeting stringent compliance requirements while delivering secure, reliable AI solutions to its customers. As a conversational AI SaaS platform, Syntheia leverages advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology to create virtual assistants that act as responsive, intelligent receptionists for businesses. With an increasing volume of sensitive data exchanged in customer interactions, data protection has become a critical priority. Achieving SOC 2 Type I certification will further enhance Syntheia’s ability to secure and protect customer information. “Syntheia understands the importance of data security in today’s digital landscape, and it’s our top priority to maintain the trust of our clients,” said Paul Di Benedetto, Chief Technology Officer at Syntheia. “Starting the SOC 2 Type I certification process represents our dedication to transparency and accountability, as we work tirelessly to ingrain data privacy measures into every aspect of our operations.” SOC 2, developed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), is widely recognized as a benchmark for data security, evaluating an organization’s information systems and their adherence to essential trust principles such as security, availability, and confidentiality. By undergoing this rigorous certification, Syntheia aims to provide clients with enhanced confidence in the resilience of its platform against data breaches and unauthorized access. The SOC 2 Type I certification journey reflects Syntheia’s ongoing commitment to delivering secure and reliable AI solutions. For more information about Syntheia and its data privacy initiatives, visit For more information, visit Syntheia is an artificial intelligence technology company which is developing and commercializing proprietary algorithms to deliver human-like conversations. Our SaaS platform offers conversational AI solutions for both enterprise and small-medium business customers globally. Tony Di Benedetto Chief Executive Officer Tel: (844) 796-8434
New loan options for self-employed with stash of cashhttps://arab.news/bzn37 LONDON: The UK is set to join a security pact between Bahrain and the US designed to build “long-term stability in the Middle East.” The UK government said it would sign a deal to join the US-Bahrain Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement on Saturday in Manama. The original agreement between the US and Bahrain, which have long-standing security ties, was signed in September last year. At the time the State Department said it would “enhance cooperation across a wide range of areas, from defense and security to emerging technology, trade, and investment.” Bahrain’s foreign minister confirmed on Friday that the UK had been invited to be a partner in the agreement, Reuters reported. “The comprehensive security integration and prosperity agreement is designed not as a bilateral arrangement, but as the beginning of a multilateral framework that aims to bring together countries with an equal interest in delivering stability and prosperity,” Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani told the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain. Hamish Falconer, the UK’s minister for Middle East and North Africa, will travel to Bahrain on Saturday to sign the agreement with officials from Bahrain and the US. He said the pact was a “joint commitment to be at the forefront of global efforts to promote the rule of law and contribute to regional stability and prosperity.” Falconer added: “The Middle East is subject to instability and the risks of escalation and miscalculation are high. It is more important than ever for the UK to join efforts to build long-term regional security in the region, alongside key partners Bahrain and (the) US.” Both the UK and the US have major naval bases in Bahrain, home to America’s Fifth Fleet. Bahrain has supported American and British efforts to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea, which has been targeted by attacks from Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen for more than a year. By entering the agreement the UK will bolster its strong security and economic cooperation with Bahrain, the British government said. The first UK Bahrain Strategic Investment Partnership agreed in 2023 has provided over £1 billion of investment in the UK, the announcement added The security agreement comes as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks to deepen relations with Arab Gulf states. The emir of Qatar this week took part in a two-day state visit to Britain, during which the two countries signed an agreement for Qatar to invest £1 billion in British climate technologies.Western Union Co. stock falls Friday, underperforms market
PSG kept goalless, David on target for Lille againStudents from Indian Trail High School and Academy and Bullen Middle School volunteered stocking the Shalom Center Pantry on Friday. Their service was part of DjMr262’s week of giving in which students have been volunteering throughout the community at various sites. The week’s events, presented by Carey Norris, also known as DjMr262, continued Saturday with a bowling fundraiser and on Sunday with the annual free community dinner from 4-6 p.m. at the Shalom Center. Bullen Middle School student Katie Shumate, 15, and Bullen special education teacher Brandon Burries help stock the shelves at the Shalom Center Pantry, 4314 39th Ave., on Friday as part of DjMr262’s week of giving. Indian Trail High School and Academy students Navaeh Williams, left background, and Chloe Gant, both 15, help stock the shelves at the Shalom Center Pantry, 4314 39th Ave., on Friday as part of DjMr262’s week of giving. The 98th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade coverage is slated from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST Thursday, Nov. 28. This year's event will feature 28 clown crews, 26 floats, 16 giant balloons, 11 marching bands, five performance groups, three "baloonicles"—cold-air inflatables driven down the parade route, and numerous performers. Stacker curated a selection of photographs from the past century of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to help illustrate the history of the iconic event. The parade in New York City, presented by department store chain Macy's, was first held in 1924 under the heading "Macy's Christmas Parade" to promote holiday sales and spotlight the newly expanded and, at the time, largest in the world Herald Square store in Manhattan. The success of the event led organizers to turn the spectacle into an annual tradition. Each year, the parade ends outside the same Herald Square Macy's location. The event has been televised nationally since 1953 on NBC. The parade at first featured Central Park Zoo animals escorted by Macy's employees and professional entertainers for 6 miles from 145th Street in north Manhattan's Harlem to Macy's. A quarter of a million onlookers lined the streets. Real animals were replaced with balloons in 1927; that same year, the name of the event was changed to Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The longest-running parade float is the event's unofficial mascot, Tom Turkey. Tom features moving wings, head, and eyes and usually functions as the lead float in the parade. Bringing up the caboose in virtually all the parades is Santa Claus who ushers in the holiday shopping season with his arrival at Macy's Herald Square. The parade offers a glimpse into pop culture of the time, from beloved children's entertainment to hit Broadway shows and musical acts. The Radio City Rockettes, formed in 1925, have performed in the parade annually since 1957. In 1933, the outside temperature was 69 degrees F, the warmest it's been; 2018 was the coldest day in parade history at 19 degrees F. In 2022, for the first time, the event featured a trio of women hosts. Today, more than 44 million people tune in to watch the parade. Keep reading to learn more about the parade's history and see some iconic shots of the event. You may also like: Game on: The booming growth of online gaming The large balloons that replaced live zoo animals in 1927 were filled with regular air and had no release valves—they were simply let go to pop in the air following the parade. 1928 marked the first year of Macy's inflating balloons with helium to allow them to float. They were also outfitted with valves so the helium could gradually escape rather than waiting for the balloon to inevitably pop, and featured a return address so anyone who found them could return them and receive a reward. In this photo from 1928, a 35-foot fish and 60-foot-long tiger were featured prominently in the parade. A $100 prize was offered for each balloon recovered after its release. The Thanksgiving parade enjoyed rapid growth throughout the 1930s, with more than 1 million revelors lining the parade route in 1933. In this 1931 photo, a giant hippopotamus balloon makes its way down Broadway. A blue hippo balloon—possibly this one—released after the parade was still at large several days later, thought to be somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. Pinnochio, Tin Man, and Uncle Sam make their way along the parade route in 1939. Mickey Mouse made his debut five years earlier with a balloon designed in part by Walt Disney; Mickey's handlers were also dressed as mice. New iterations of Mickey appeared over the next 70 years as the character evolved. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was canceled from 1942-1944 because of supply shortages during World War II, namely helium and rubber. Festivities returned in 1945. The Christmas classic "Miracle on 34th Street" was released in 1947 and prominently features actual footage from the 1946 parade. 1948 marked the parade's first network television broadcast. You may also like: Legendary interior designers from every decade of the 20th century The 23rd annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was held Nov. 24, 1949. In this photo, a teddy bear makes its way through Times Square. This parade marked the second appearance for the bear. Other balloons made their debut: Freida the Dachshund, Howdy Doody on the Flying Trapeze, and Macy's Hobo Clown. Macy's original character The Giant Spaceman made his debut in 1952's parade, measuring 70 feet long and 40 feet wide and weighing 600 pounds. More than 25 gallons of paint went into painting the astronaut. An estimated 2.25 million people lined the streets for the festivities that year. Throngs of onlookers pack the sidewalks in Manhattan's Times Square during this 1955 parade. Mighty Mouse, an animated superhero created by Terrytoons, is seen in the back left of the photo. Mighty Mouse made his debut in the Thanksgiving Day parade in 1951; he appeared in 80 short films between 1942-1961. The iconic peacock float makes its debut in this photo of the 1961 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. That same year, Miss Teenage America Diane Lynn Cox appeared in princess attire sharing a float with "Prince Charming" actor Troy Donahue. You may also like: Baltimore buried its urban streams—now an artist is bringing one back Teen performers appear in classic roller skates in this image from the 1961 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The sign above the skaters reads "Macy's presents A Fantasy of Christmas in New York." This 1961 photo shows shoulder-to-shoulder parade onlookers at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The year marks the first balloon featuring Bullwinkle Moose and the first year for floats with Pinocchio, The Racetrack Grandstand, Cinderella, Peacock, Ferris Wheel, Brigadoon, Meet the Mets, and Santa's Sleigh. Several years later, in 1968, Macy's creative team figured out how to design floats up to 40 feet tall and 28 feet wide that could fold into 12.5-by-8-foot boxes for strategic transportation from New Jersey to Manhattan via the Lincoln Tunnel. A Bullwinkle Moose balloon floats down Broadway in this 1972 photograph of the parade. The 46th annual parade featured five firsts for floats: Alphabet Blocks, Snow Mountain, Windmill, Curious George, and Santa's Holiday Home. Woody Woodpecker greets the crowd as he floats past One Times Square during the 63rd annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1989. In the coming years, safety concerns troubled '90s-era parades—namely the wind. Strong gusts in 1993 pushed a Sonic the Hedgehog balloon into a Columbus Circle lamppost that broke and hurt a child and off-duty police officer. Four years later, intense winds caused a Cat in the Hat balloon to hit a lamppost, hurling debris into the air that fractured the skull of a spectator who spent 24 days in a coma. The incident, among others, led then-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to form a task force. The Soaring Spirit Canoe float, pictured here in 1995, made its debut in the parade in 1986. Popular '90s balloons included Bart Simpson, Cat in the Hat, and The Rugrats. New York City first responders carry two American flags during the Nov. 22, 2001, 75th Anniversary of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which was also held on the heels of 9/11. They honored those killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that year. New Yorkers crowded the streets to watch the parade, which featured 15 giant balloons and marching bands that all added an air of patriotism to the event. In this 2016 photo, spectators like this one recorded videos of the parade on their phones. More than 24 million people were estimated to have streamed the parade that year on TV. The Pikachu balloon floats down Central Park West for its fourth time during the 91st annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2017. That year's lineup featured 1,100 cheerleaders and dancers, more than 1,000 clowns, 28 legacy balloons, 26 floats, 17 giant helium balloons, 12 marching bands, and six performance groups. Performers in this photo prepare at the 94th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 26, 2020. The event was one of few public occasions to be kept on schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic, albeit in a tempered manner. Much of the performances were pre-taped and the parade route was massively reduced. Participants wore masks and balloon handlers were cut by nearly 90%. Santa Claus celebrates at the 97th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in this photo from Nov. 23, 2023. First-time giant balloons included Beagle Scout Snoopy, Leo (Netflix), Monkey D. Luffy, Po from "Kung Fu Panda," and The Pillsbury Doughboy. Copy editing by Lois Hince. You may also like: From the Roman Empire to your therapist's office: The history of the chaise lounge In Macy's first Thanksgiving parade, Santa Claus sat atop a float pulled by a team of horses down Broadway. That year floats, bands, and Central Park Zoo animals were featured in the procession. At the parade's end, Santa Claus was crowned "King of the Kiddies" on Macy's balcony at the 34th Street entrance. Macy's quickly announced the parade would be an annual event. In this image, the Felix the Cat balloon is led down Broadway by its four handlers tailed by Terrible Turk and Willie Red Bird. The original Felix the Cat character balloon made its parade debut in 1927, but was destroyed after its post-parade release by a high tension wire in 1931. The Terrible Turk also was destroyed the same year by an electric sign. In 1932, Macy's Tom Cat balloon got stuck in the propeller of a plane when the aviator flying the plane tried recovering the balloon for a reward. While the plane eventually landed safely, that event marked the final year of releasing balloons after the parades and offering prizes for their return to Macy's. Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
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The New York Giants got pounded at home in their first game since quarterback Daniel Jones was released as they lost embarrassingly to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 40-7. Tommy DeVito got the start at quarterback and did not provide any spark, as he completed 21 of 31 pass attempts for 189 yards and no touchdowns. Malik Nabers was not happy following the Giants’ Week 12 loss Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers expressed real frustration following the loss, saying that the problems with the team are beyond the quarterback. “It ain’t the QB,” Nabers said via The Athletic’s Charlotte Carroll . “Same outcome when we had DJ at QB.” Nabers joins other Giants’ teammates who expressed displeasure with the organization’s decision to bench and release Jones. Nose tackle Dexter Lawrence said this week that Jones is “the best quarterback on the team” and another unnamed player called the decision “weak as f—.” Nabers finished the game with six receptions on nine targets for 64 yards. He didn’t get a single target in the first quarter and has seen his overall production decline since returning from a concussion in Week 7. Nabers sounded off on the lack of targets as well following the game. “I started getting the ball when it’s 30-0,” Nabers said (h/t SNY’s Connor J. Hughes ). “What do you want me to do?” The Giants’ frustrations have reached a boiling point The Giants’ disastrous season is only continuing to spiral. They are now 2-9 on the season and average a league-worst 14.8 points per game. Additionally, the locker room is disjointed following the decision to release Jones, with Nabers’ frustration being the best example of that. Head coach Brian Daboll is likely coaching for his job the rest of the way, but it is unclear how he will be able to regain the trust of his players. New York has now dropped six consecutive games as the frustration from a bad season has reached its boiling point. This article first appeared on Empire Sports Media and was syndicated with permission.None