1999-09-23 Assigned to MOTOROLA, INC. reassignment MOTOROLA, INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: COLLINS, TIMOTHY JAMES, RAKERS, PATRICK L., DIRAIMONDO, SAM W., RUSSELL, DANIEL J.
A portable data device (300) having a memory (302) is provided. The memory (302) is segmented into a plurality of sectors (304-312). A backup memory buffer (312) and a plurality of applications (304-310) are programmed into the plurality of sectors, wherein the backup memory buffer (312) is jointly used by the plurality of applications (304-310). A valid state of data is stored in the backup memory buffer (312) prior to performing a transaction for a first application (304). The valid state of data is restored in the first application (304) upon power up of the portable data device (300) in an event the transaction is terminated prior to completion, wherein the step of restoring is independent of a next application in which a next transaction is performed.
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for data backup and restoration in a smartcard, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for recovering the state of the data if the transaction is improperly terminated.
Credit cards, typically provided with magnetic stripes, have been around for many years. These types of credit cards, however, have a design flaw. The mechanical interface between the credit card and the reader requires periodic cleaning. The poor reliability of the readers, due to the mechanical interface, causes down time for reader maintenance. Contactless smartcards have been developed which eliminate the mechanical interface between the card and the reader.
During a transaction, there exists a need to modify data stored in the smartcard's electrically erasable programmable read-only-memory (EEPROM). One of the problems of contactless smartcard applications stems from the ability of the user to terminate the power before the transaction has completed. Removal of the power prior to the completion of the transaction can cause the wrong data to be programmed into the smartcard's memory. This event is termed a tear.
The current solution to handling a tear and preventing the wrong data from being programmed into the EEPROM is illustrated in FIG. 1. The EEPROM 102 is segmented into a plurality of sectors of memory. A plurality of applications and a plurality of backup memory buffers are programmed into the plurality of sectors of EEPROM memory. The plurality of backup memory buffers must equal the plurality of applications, thus providing a dedicated backup memory buffer for each application. Using the dedicated backup memories for each application provides the current solution for providing memory correction of a particular application in the event of a tear.
A disadvantage to using a dedicated backup memory buffer for each application programmed on the EEPROM 102 is the large amount of valuable memory space required. The number of bits modified during a transaction can be large resulting in large and expensive dedicated backup memory buffers 112-118. Accordingly, there exists a need for insuring the correct data is restored in the smartcard memory in the event of a tear without seriously impacting the size of the smartcard's memory.
Further, the current state of the art allows the EEPROM 102 to restore the valid state of the data only when the application that experienced the tear is launched. As a result, the valid data remains stored in a dedicated backup memory buffer until the corresponding application is launched. Having the restoration scheme used in the prior art results in a large amount of memory being required and used.
A further disadvantage of the prior art is inadequate security precautions taken to prevent unauthorized modifications to the data stored on the smartcard. Since integrity sensitive applications, e.g., applications storing financial information, are programmed on the smartcard, security against unmodified modification of the data field is required. FIG. 2 displays the memory configuration for the prior art. As shown, the data field locations are fixed for all applications and are public knowledge. Fixed data fields in known locations allow unscrupulous individuals to easily modify the desired data fields since all applications place certain data in the same location (e.g., the first memory block of each sector of memory). Accordingly, there exists a need for placing the data in different locations in order to make it difficult for an unscrupulous individual to determine which data fields should be modified.
Moreover, not only does the prior art store the desired data fields in the same location for all applications, the prior art requires that the desired data field store the desired data in triplicate in order to determine if the data has been mistakenly modified. For example, the actual value is stored twice and the complement of the actual value is stored once. Such a procedure is very cumbersome and also requires a large amount of memory.
Thus, there exists a need to provide a method and apparatus for data backup and restoration in a smartcard that insures that the correct data is stored in memory without seriously impacting the size of the memory while simultaneously providing adequate security of the data.
FIG. 10 illustrates an alternative environment in which a portable data device and a storage medium is implement in accordance with a further alternative embodiment of the present invention.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a method and an apparatus for efficient memory usage for data backup and restoration in a portable data device and for recovering the correct state of the data if a transaction is improperly terminated. The preferred embodiment insures that the correct state of the data is stored in a memory shared by all applications programmed on the portable data device in the event the transaction is improperly terminated, without seriously impacting the size of the memory. For ease of explanation and understanding, the following description assumes that the portable data device is a smartcard, even though it can be any type of processing-controlled device (e.g., a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a microcontroller, a dedicated logic element, etc.) capable of executing the methodology and/or steps of the present invention as described in detail below.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention also utilizes a "data backup and restoration" scheme that operates internally to the smartcard. The "data backup and restoration" scheme is defined as the ability to restore the correct state of data for a given memory location when a change to the data is incomplete, such as an incomplete transaction or tear. In the preferred embodiment, the data stored at a given memory location is automatically restored to its correct state upon power up of the smartcard, thus eliminating the need for a backup memory buffer per application. As such, the preferred embodiment of the present invention minimizes the memory overhead required for the "data backup and restoration" scheme, thus allowing for efficient memory storage.
The preferred embodiment further allows an application controller to place data in different memory block locations/data fields within a sector of memory. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, this operation can be deterministic, pseudo-random or random in nature. An advantage to random placement of the data is that it makes it more difficult for unscrupulous individuals to tamper with the data because they do not know which locations contain valuable data.
FIG. 3 illustrates a hardware block diagram of a smartcard 300 in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the preferred embodiment, the smartcard 300 comprises a processing element 301 and a non-volatile memory 302 (e.g., a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), or the like) that is mapped or segmented into a plurality of sectors 304, 306, 308, 310, 312. For ease of explanation and understanding, the following description assumes that the non-volatile memory 302 in the preferred embodiment is an EEPROM 302. Each user application (e.g., "first application 304","second application 306","third application 308" and "fourth application 310")stored onto the smartcard 300 is allocated a sector of memory in the EEPROM 302.
A backup memory buffer ("backup memory buffer 312")is also allocated a sector of memory 312 in the EEPROM 302. As stated above, the backup memory buffer 312 is commonly used by the plurality of user applications 304-310. It is important to note that regardless of the number of user applications 304-310 stored on the smartcard 300, there is only one backup memory buffer 312 in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
For ease of explanation and for example purposes only, the smartcard 300 illustrated in FIG. 3 has four user applications 304-310 associated therewith. For purposes of this discussion, a user application may be controlled, in whole or in part, by an application controller (not shown in FIG. 3). Such application controllers have in the past controlled user applications of smartcards, such as, for example, retail applications, restaurant applications, transit applications, college campus applications and the like. By way of example, the first application 304 may be controlled by a restaurant, the second application 306 may be controlled by a taxi cab service, a third application 308 may be controlled by a retail store 308 and a fourth application 310 may be controlled by a bus service.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, user applications may be stored, loaded, programmed, installed and/or the like, into the EEPROM 302 of the smartcard 300 in a variety of ways. For example, a user can have a blank formatted smartcard 300 where the user takes the smartcard 300 to each individual application controller for programming. Alternatively, the individual application controller (e.g., a bank, a restaurant, a transit authority, etc.) pre-selects the user applications loaded onto the smartcard 300. Additionally, the user may select the user applications on the smartcard 300 from a list of user applications provided by the application controller.
The number of user applications associated with a particular smartcard 300 is configurable based on the amount of total memory available on the smartcard 300 and the amount of memory blocks allocated to a particular user application. Configuring the number of memory blocks allocated to a particular user application 304 is based upon the manufacturing design of the smartcard 300. The smartcard 300 has application-defined value and non-value block mapping. As stated above, each user application 304-310 is allocated a sector of memory having a unique set of memory block locations. Each sector of memory 304-310 can be programmed to fit the user application. The application controller identifies each memory block in its sector of memory as a value block storing value data or a non-value block storing non-value data. Value blocks and non-value blocks may occur in any combination (i.e., coexist) within a user application.
Value data is any information that requires a high level of integrity and backup management during data modification. Examples of value data are the amount of money available for the application, the number of tokens available for the application, the number of purchases/rides/points accrued in order to receive a free gift/ride/discount, a social security number or a telephone number if used to identify the user, etc.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, value blocks 400 have a fixed format, but may reside at any memory block location, preferably determined by the application controller. In the preferred embodiment, the value block 400 comprises forty bits, or five bytes, which make up the value data 401: thirty-two payload bits 402 and eight cyclic redundancy check (CRC) generated parity bits 404. Since the value data40l is very sensitive to data integrity problems, the CRC generated parity bits 404 are attached to the payload bits 402 in order to identify any changes in the payload bits 402.
Non-value blocks 406 do not have a fixed format and thus can be any integral number of bytes. Non-value blocks 406 may also reside at any memory block location, preferably determined by the application controller. In the preferred embodiment, non-value data 408 is comprised of only payload bits. CRC generated parity bits are not a part of the non-value data 408 in the preferred embodiment of the present invention because the non-value data 408 is not particularly sensitive to data integrity issues as is the value data 401.
Non-value data 408 is any information that does not require a high level of integrity or backup management. Examples of non-value data 408 are history information, the user's birthday, the user's address, etc. An advantage of identifying a given location as a value bock 400 or a non-value block 406 allows the smartcard 300 to use less memory when performing various transactions.
For security precautions, the application controller has the freedom and flexibility to randomly store any type of data (value 401 or non-value 408) in any memory block location in its sector of memory. The application controller can also change the location of its value and non-value blocks 400, 406 at any time, especially if it believes its security has been compromised, and maintain the backup feature for its value block/data.
For additional security precautions, the smartcard 300 can vary the order of the user applications 304-310 so that the user applications 304-310 are not necessarily stored on the smartcard 300 in the order in which they were programmed, stored, loaded, installed and/or the like.
Optionally, the smartcard 300 further comprises a display area 314 to allow the user to read text messages from the user application and/or the application controller. Examples of text messages are the following: "$2.00 has been deducted from your account. Your remaining account balance is $10.38";"Your transaction is being processed";"Your account balance has been exceeded, please call 1-800-555-5555";"You will receive a 10% discount on your next purchase";etc.
The following discussion is now directed to how a transaction is performed. A transaction is an exchange of data between the application controller and the user via the smartcard and a reader. As shown in FIG. 5, the user 500 controls the smartcard 300 and the application controller 502 controls the reader 504. For purposes of this discussion, a user application 304 is controlled, in whole or in part, by an application controller 502 (e.g., retailers, restaurants, transit authorities, etc.). In the preferred contactless embodiment of the present invention, the smartcard 300 is powered upon entry into a radio frequency (RF) field 506, or alternatively, receipt of an infrared (IR) signal (not shown), In a contact environment, the smartcard 300 is powered upon coming into electrical contact with the reader 504 which applies power to the smartcard 300.
FIG. 6 illustrates a typical transaction in accordance with the preferred embodiment. For example, when the user 500 wants to use his smartcard 300 to purchase a hamburger from a restaurant (first application) 304 for two dollars ($2.00), the user 500 places the smartcard 300 in a position where the reader 504 for the first user application 304 can supply power to the smartcard 300 at step 600. When the reader 504 supplies power to the smartcard 300, the smartcard 300 determines whether the data stored in the backup memory buffer 312 is the correct state of a memory block location, thus requiring the data stored in the backup memory buffer 312 to be restored to its original location at step 602. Details of restoring the correct state of data to its original location at step 604 are discussed in greater detail with reference to FIG. 8 below. As such, it is assumed that data restoration is not required for this example illustrated in FIG. 6.
Communication is initiated between the smartcard 300 and the reader 504 by executing a protocol amongst themselves at step 606. Such communication protocols are well known in the art of data networking and/or smartcard design and therefore requires no additional description or discussion. Suffice it to say, however, the protocol provides anti-collision protection when multiple smartcards are presented to the reader 504 at step 608, and checks the authenticity of the reader 504 and the smartcard 300 at step 610, among other things.
After the protocol is complete, the reader 504 instructs the smartcard 300 at step 612 to subtract $2.00 for the hamburger from a given memory block location (byte and line address) via a VALUE or NON-VALUE DATA command. If the smartcard receives a VALUE DATA command at step 612, the processing element 301 will treat the memory block location as a value block 400 storing value data 401. If the smartcard 300 receives a NON-VALUE DATA command at step 612, the processing element 301 will treat the memory block location as a non-value block 406 storing non-value data 408. As a result, if the smartcard 300 receives a NON-VALUE DATA command at step 612 from the reader 504 identifying a memory block location that is storing value data 401, the processing element 301 processes the value data 401 as non-value data 408. If the smartcard 300 receives a VALUE DATA command at step 612 identifying a memory block location that stores non-value data 408, the processing element 301 processes the non-value data 408 as value data 401. Processing non-value data 408 as value data 401, however, results in an ERROR command issued by the smartcard 300 because the processing element 301 checks the CRC generated parity bits 404, which is not present in non-value data 408. Thus, the processing element 301 does not necessarily correct incorrect commands received from the reader 504, but rather processes the data in accordance to the type of command received at step 612.
In this particular example, the reader 504 transmits a VALUE DATA command to the smartcard at step 612. The processing element 301 responds to the reader 504 by accessing the given memory block location and processing the stored data as value data 401 by implementing the "data backup" scheme at step 614. The "data backup" scheme 614 allows the processing element 301 to copy the value data 401 currently stored in the given memory block location into the backup memory buffer 312 along with the address of the given memory block location in order to create backup data 401′.
In the preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, when the value data 401 is written into the backup memory buffer 312, fifty-two bits are need to accommodate the backup data 401′: one flag bit 700, eleven address bits 702, thirty-two payload bits 402 and eight CRC generated parity bits 404. The allocation of bits is, however, configurable.
Referring back to FIG. 6, upon duplicating the value data 401, along with the address 702 of the given memory block location, into the backup memory buffer 312, the processing element 301 sets the flag bit 700. Preferably, the flag bit 700 is located within the backup memory buffer 312, but in alternative embodiments, the flag bit 700 could be located anywhere within the smartcard 300. Setting the flag bit 700 indicates that the transaction is incomplete and the backup data 401′ currently stored in the backup memory buffer 312 is the correct state of the data (i.e., valid data) for the address 702 corresponding to the given memory block location. Up to this point, the value of the value data 401 stored at the memory block location and the value of the backup data 401′ stored at the backup memory buffer are the same. As such, if an interruption or tear occurs before any changes are made to the value data 401 stored at the memory block location, the value data 401 at the given application memory location is still intact, and the smartcard 300 accepts the value data 401 as the correct state of the given memory location.
Once the value data 400 has been copied and stored in the backup memory buffer 312 along with its given application memory location address 702 at step 614, only then does the processing element 301 begin manipulating the value data 401 stored at the given application memory location in order to perform the operation required for the transaction at step 616. If an interruption or tear occurs after the value data 401 stored at the given application memory location has undergone any manipulation, the processing element 301 accepts the backup data 401′ stored in the backup memory buffer 312 as the correct state of the given memory block location identified by the stored address 702 (described in detail below with reference to FIG. 8).
In the present example, the reader 504 instructs the processing element 301 to subtract two dollars from the amount stored at the given application location. The processing element 301 performs the operation (subtracting two dollars), calculates a new value derived from the operation and stores the new value data (not shown) at the given application memory location at step 618. The processing element 301 then informs the reader 504 that the transaction has been completed (TRANS SUCCESS command) at step 620. Optionally, the processing element 301 can inform the reader 504 of the new value data.
At some point after the reader 504 receives the TRANS SUCCESS command from the smartcard 300, the reader 504 must respond with a COMMIT command in order to proceed with the transaction from the standpoint of the application controller. If a COMMIT command is not received from the reader 504, the transaction fails and is deemed incomplete. In the preferred embodiment, if the application controller desires to proceed with the transaction, the reader 504 transmits the COMMIT command after receiving the TRANS SUCCESS command. In alternative embodiments, if the application controller desires to proceed with the transaction, additional commands could still be exchanged between the reader 504 and the smartcard 300 before the reader 504 transmits the COMMIT command to the smartcard 300.
After the reader 504 receives the ACK COMMIT command from the smartcard 300, the reader 504 indicates to the restaurant employee to give the holder 500 of the smartcard 300 the hamburger. Thus, in the preferred embodiment, a transaction is complete (and the backup data 401′ stored in the backup memory buffer 312 becomes invalid) only after the reader 504 transmits the COMMIT command and the smartcard 300 transmits the ACK COMMIT command in response thereto.
A further scenario from the previous example is when there is not enough money in the given application memory location to purchase the hamburger. The smartcard 300 informs the reader 504 of the non-sufficient funds (NSF) by sending the reader 504 a NSF command instead of the TRANS SUCCESS command. Optionally, the smartcard 300 can provide the actual negative value that resulted after the operation was performed, or the like, to the reader 504 along with the NSF command. At this point, the reader 504 has the option of allowing the transaction to proceed even though there are NSF in the given application memory location. For example, if the user 500 has been a good-standing consumer for a period of time, the application controller 502 may desire to give or "float" the money to the user 500 by sending the smartcard 300 the COMMIT command. The transaction will then continue as described above.
Situations arise when the transaction is incomplete. Such a situation is called a "tear". A tear is caused for a variety of reasons. A tear commonly occurs when the smartcard 300 loses power, such as, but not limited to, when the smartcard is moved beyond the range of the RF field 506 or stops receiving the IR signal in a contactless environment. The smartcard 300 also loses power when there is no longer any electrical contact between the smartcard 300 and the reader 504 in a contact environment. In the situation when a battery supplies the power the smartcard 300, a tear occurs when the battery loses its charge before the transaction is complete. As such, a tear occurs when the user 500 of the smartcard 300 changes his/her mind about completing the transaction, the reader 504 and/or the smartcard 300 picks up interfering signals from outside sources, the electrical contact is not strong enough, etc. A tear will also occur if the reader 504 does not transmit a COMMIT command prior to the smartcard 300 losing power or if the smartcard 300 does not transmit an ACK COMMIT command prior to the smartcard 300 losing power.
As illustrated in FIG. 8, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the smartcard receives power at step 800, the smartcard 300 determines if restoration is required at step 602 by determining the status of the flag bit 700 (i.e., whether the backup memory buffer 312 contains valid or invalid data). If the flag bit 700 is clear, the backup memory buffer 312 contains invalid data (indicating that the correct state of the data is stored in the memory block location identified by the address stored in the backup memory buffer 312) and the smartcard 300 begins the transaction at step 606 with the reader 504 as described above with reference to FIG. 6.
If the flag bit 700 is set or valid data is found in the backup memory buffer 312, this indicates that an incomplete transaction or a tear occurred and the smartcard 300 implements the "data restoration" scheme at step 604. The "data restoration" scheme accesses the backup memory buffer 312 and identifies the address 702 stored therein. Once the address 702 is identified, the processing element 301 writes the backup data 401′, also stored within the backup memory buffer 312, in the given memory block location corresponding to the address 702. The backup data 401′ is considered the correct state (i.e., valid) because any changes made to the value data 401 after being copied into the backup memory buffer 312 has not been committed to or approved by both the reader 504 and the smartcard 300. It is important to be able to restore the data in the given memory block location to its correct state in case a tear, premature termination or incomplete transaction occurs. It is also important to note that the "data restoration" scheme 604 is done independent of the reader 504 or its application 304. In other words, the processing element 301 automatically recovers from an incomplete transaction or a tear upon receiving power, independent of a next reader supplying power to the smartcard 300, the next application launched (whether the first application 304, the second application 306, etc.) and/or the next memory block location accessed (whether a value block 400 or a non-value block 406).
Once the backup data 401′ stored in the backup memory buffer 312 is restored in the given application memory location 702, the processing element 301 clears the flag bit 700 and begins the transaction with the reader 504 as described above.
In an alternative embodiment the backup memory buffer 312 can be formatted into a plurality of segments. The number of segments is configurable. In each segment, the backup memory buffer 312 stores value data 401 in a given application 304 at a single time. Storing multiple value data 401 from multiple value blocks 400 allows the smartcard 300 and the reader 504 to complete a transaction on a plurality of value blocks 400 simultaneously.
For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the backup memory buffer 312 is segmented into two segments 900, 902. When a user 500 uses his smartcard 300 to ride the city bus, a reader 504 for a user application 310 sends a command to the smartcard 300 to identify a first location 904 to decrement the fare and a second location 906 to increment the number of rides accrued before receiving a free ride. The value data 908, 910 associated with both the first and second locations 904, 906 are copied into the backup memory buffer 312 in designated segments 900, 902 of the backup memory buffer 312 before the processing element 301 decrements the fare from the first value data 908 and increments the number of rides from the second data value 910. The transaction is complete for all value data 908, 910 stored in the backup memory buffer 312 (in this case, the fare and the number of rides) when the reader 504 transmits the COMMIT command and the smartcard 300 transmits the ACK COMMIT command. Thus, a single COMMIT command from the reader 504 and a single ACK COMMIT command from the smartcard 300 completes the transactions for all value data (in this case, 908, 910) stored in the backup memory buffer 312.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with a specific embodiment thereof, additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. For example, a further alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. 10, a storage medium 1000 having stored thereon a plurality of user applications 1004, 1006 and a backup memory buffer 1008 which, when loaded into a portable data device 1010 having a processing element 1012, causes the processing element 1012 to perform the following functions: share the backup memory buffer 1008 with the plurality of user applications 1004, 1006; store a valid state of data from a memory location 1014 in the storage medium 1000 into the backup memory buffer 1008 prior to performing a transaction for an application; and restore the valid state of data from the backup memory buffer 1008 into the memory location 1014 upon receiving power at the portable data device 1010 in an event the transaction is terminated prior to completion, independent of a next application in which a next transaction is performed. A set of instructions 1016 which instructs the processing element 1012 to perform the functions can either be stored on the storage medium 1000, or alternatively on the portable data device 1010.
In addition, the storage medium 1000, when loaded into the portable data device 1010, could also cause the processing element 1012 to perform the functions described in FIG. 6 and/or FIG. 8.
In the further alternative embodiment illustrated with respect to FIG. 10, the portable data device 1010 is a personal digital assistant, a cellular telephone, a laptop computer or any other portable device that is capable of receiving the storage medium 1000. The portable data device 1010 optionally comprises a display area 1018 to allow the user 500 to read text messages from a user application and/or application controller as in the preferred embodiment (shown in FIG. 3).
The storage medium device 1000, such as a diskette, cartridge, smartcard, compact disc (miniature or full size) or any other medium capable of storing thereon the plurality of user applications 1002, 1004, 1006 the backup memory buffer, the processing element 1012 and the set of instructions 1016, singularly or in any type of combination, is inserted into the portable data device 1010.
The processing element 1012 is a microprocessor, microcomputer, microcontroller, a dedicated logic element or any other processing element capable of executing the methodology and/or steps of the present invention as described in detail above.
In yet a further embodiment, the storage medium 1000 could have the set of instructions 1016, a non-volatile memory 1002 and a processing element 1012 stored thereon, wherein the non-volatile memory 1002 is mapped into a plurality of segments 1004, 1006, and having a backup memory buffer 1008 which, when loaded into the portable data device 1010, causes the storage medium 1000 to perform the following functions: share the backup memory buffer 1008 with the plurality of user applications 1004, 1006; store a valid state of data from a memory location 1014 in the nonvolatile memory 1002 into the backup memory buffer 1008 prior to performing a transaction for a user application; and restore the valid state of data from the backup memory buffer 1008 into the memory location 1014 upon power up of the portable data device 1010 in an event the transaction is terminated prior to completion, independent of a next application in which a next transaction is performed.
In addition, the set of instructions stored on the storage medium 1000 could cause the storage medium 1000 to perform the functions of FIG. 6 and/or FIG. 8. As such, the plurality of user applications 1004, 1006 and the backup memory buffer 1008 could reside on either the storage medium 1000 or the portable data device 1010, and the set of instructions 1016 used to perform any of the functions described above can reside either on the storage medium 1000 or the portable data device 1010.
Thus, the invention, in its broader aspects, is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus, and illustrative examples shown and described. Various alterations, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Thus, it should be understood that the invention is not limited by the foregoing description, but embraces all such alterations, modifications and variations in accordance with the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
restoring the valid state of data from the backup memory buffer into the memory location upon power up of the portable data device in an event the transaction is terminated prior to completion, wherein the step of restoring is independent of a next application in which a next transaction is performed.
2. The data backup and restoration method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the portable data device is a smartcard.
copying the backup data into the memory location when the status of the flag bit is set, wherein the step of copying the backup data is independent of a reader.
4. The data backup and restoration method in accordance with claim 3 wherein a reader is controlled by an application controller, and wherein the step of copying the backup data is also independent of the application controller.
5. The data backup and restoration method in accordance with claim 4 wherein the application controller is one of the following: a retail store, a restaurant, a bank, a transit authority and a college campus.
6. The data backup and restoration method in accordance with claim 3 further comprising clearing the flag bit only when the transaction is successfully completed.
7. The data backup and restoration method in accordance with claim 6 wherein the transaction is successfully completed when both the portable data device and the reader agree to commit to the transaction.
8. The data backup and restoration method in accordance with claim 3 wherein the step of receiving power comprises entering a radio frequency field exerted from the reader.
9. The data back and restoration method in accordance with claim 3 wherein the step of receiving power comprises transmitting an infrared signal to the reader.
10. The data backup and restoration method in accordance with claim 3 wherein the step of receiving power comprises establishing an electrical contact with the reader.
11. The data backup and restoration method in accordance with claim 3 further comprising loading a plurality of user applications into the plurality of sectors, each user application being controlled by an application controller and each sector having a unique set of memory block locations, wherein each application controller programs any type of data in each memory block location within a sector.
12. The data backup and restoration method in accordance with claim 11 wherein the application controller can move data programmed in a first memory block location to a second memory block location at any given time.
13. The data backup and restoration method in accordance with claim 11 wherein the sector in which a particular user application is loaded into is independent of an order in which the particular user application is loaded onto the portable data device.
copying the first backup data into the first memory location and copying the second backup data into the second memory location when the status of the flag bit is set, wherein the step of copying the first backup data is independent of a reader.
15. A data backup and restoration apparatus having stored thereon a plurality of user applications and a backup memory buffer, the backup memory buffer being common to the plurality of user applications, when the data backup and restoration apparatus receives power from a reader in order to perform a transaction on data stored at a memory location, the data is copied from the memory location into the backup memory buffer prior to performing the transaction, and upon a next receipt of power from a reader, the data is copied from the backup memory buffer into the memory location in an event the transaction is terminated prematurely independent of a reader.
16. The data backup and restoration apparatus in accordance with claim 15 further comprising an electrically erasable programmable read-only-memory in which the plurality of user applications and the backup memory buffer are stored.
17. The data backup and restoration apparatus in accordance with claim 15 wherein the data backup and restoration apparatus further comprises a display area.
restore the valid state of data from the backup memory buffer into the memory location upon power up of the portable data device in an event the transaction is terminated prior to completion, independent of a next application in which a next transaction is performed.
19. The storage medium in accordance with claim 18 wherein the portable data device is a personal digital assistant.
20. The storage medium in accordance with claim 18 wherein the portable data device is a cellular telephone.
ARP000103830 AR024926A1 (en) 1999-07-26 2000-07-25 Method and apparatus for security and data recovery on a portable data device.


With the full public release of Windows Vista only a few months away, tensions are heating up between Microsoft and some security software vendors, and plenty of pundits are saying that this situation looks like a 2007 repeat of the great Microsoft-Netscape battles of old. In the following report, we briefly summarize the facts and then explain why this situation is worlds apart from that landmark battle over web browsers. If anyone should be sweating bullets, it's Microsoft.
As previously reported, antivirus and security firms Symantec and McAfee object to x86-64 Windows' PatchGuard feature for 64-bit versions of the OS, which protects the kernel from any unauthorized changes or tampering. PatchGuard is not a feature of Microsoft's 32-bit operating systems, including the forthcoming 32-bit versions of Windows Vista.
Microsoft originally planned to keep third parties out of the kernel using PatchGuard, but in an attempt to appease the EU, the software giant announced that it would relent. Under pressure, Microsoft proposed new Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for access, but Symantec responded by saying that such a move wasn't good enough, and McAfee followed suit.
Late last week, Microsoft offered to host an online meeting, inviting many security companies to attend in the hopes of straightening out this kerfuffle. Technical glitches with LiveMeeting added extra drama, as key players were booted from the meeting accidentally. Were certain companies getting the short shrift? A Microsoft spokesperson told Ars that "the first session had some technical difficulties which caused a delay, but the issues were resolved and the meeting continued as planned. We're grateful that over 20 partners were able to successfully participate in the call." Additional meetings have also been scheduled, so that anyone who wants will have an opportunity to participate. When they attend, they'll learn one thing above all others: Microsoft isn't going to relent further.
Microsoft is clear that they have no intention of disabling PatchGuard altogether, or allowing security firms to bypass it or the API designed for interaction. As a result, the meeting yesterday served to discuss the "methods by which third-party software can work alongside Kernel Patch Protection on x86-64 platforms without disabling it." In Microsoft's view, a solution has been found and is being put in place.
Shortly after the announcement of Microsoft's API plans came another bombshell: these methods, which will take the form of new APIs, will not be ready by the time of Vista's release. Instead, Microsoft promises to have the set of documented kernel APIs ready by the "Vista SP1 timeframe," for which an exact date has not been given. We estimate the first service pack will ship more than 12 months after the launch of Vista. Symantec and McAfee are not pleased.
The issue of PatchGuard and the wait for new APIs overshadows the real issue: the presence of Microsoft's OneCare antivirus solution and its prominent placement in the Vista operating system. Privately many antivirus companies are fuming. Not only is Microsoft moving in on their turf, but they also feel as though the company is locking them out of the OS, and therefore out of the antivirus business. Sound familiar? There's no shortage of people claiming that this is Netscape, Part II.
There are many important differences this time around, however. For example, this CNet Australia article draws strong comparisons to Netscape's fate at the hands of Microsoft and Internet Explorer (going so far as to call what's happening to McAfee and Symantec as "Netscaping"), but it fails to mention the key difference, as do most of the other analyses I've read so far.
Microsoft never charged for Internet Explorer. Netscape had to compete against a web browser that was integrated into the OS and came seemingly "free of charge." With Windows Vista, OneCare may be promoted by the OS, but it is not free. OneCare costs $49.95, but provides protection for up to three PCs. Sunbelt president Alex Eckelberry has called the pricing model "predatory," but the point is: there is a price. If OneCare is going to be a success, customers are going to have to pony up for the service, making it less of a Netscape situation. Ultimately this battle is about antivirus market share, but the established players have years of experience selling software and the new competition in town (Microsoft) isn't giving its wares away for free.
Microsoft will, of course, benefit from including OneCare's sign-up icon in the Windows Vista Welcome Center, but as the recent Google-Dell bundling hookup shows, software companies can attempt to work deals with OEMs for similar placement. In fact, Symantec and McAfee have both used extensive bundling deals to preload Dell, Gateway, and other PCs with their software. Indeed, long before there were complaints over Internet Explorer 4 there were bundled copies of anti-virus software on most OEM computers destined for the home.
Is OneCare really a bundling threat? Surely it is, but it cuts both ways, as I will soon explain.


A phone call or email 'out of the blue' offering you a not-to-be-missed investment opportunity could be a turning point in your life. If you say 'yes' to the deal and the offer is a scam, you could lose thousands of dollars or end up with enormous debts.
Increasing number of cases regarding fake loan or investment offers has now become a real threat to 'innocent' internet users who just seek a bright future and deprive themselves of their precious savings that ultimately land in the banks accounts of criminals and scammers.
According to instructions given by anti-cyber wing, investment scams can come to a person via a phone call or email and there are three main types of investment scams including a totally fictitious offer, misuse of money for some other businesses and fake representation of a well-known investment company.
Fraud criminals often use the names of real companies in their junk mail. These companies are victims insofar as their reputations suffer at the hands of the scammers.
The scammers are always willing to fund a person without any apparent due diligence. They use generic isps – e.g., yahoo.com, gmail.com, live.com, hotmail.com. They insist on payment of a fee or expense before any is funded or send a person funds and demand that he/she immediately pay the required fee/ expense from the money (i.e. before the forged or stolen check is identified by the bank).


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More info on American Jewish Congress
American Jewish Congress: Map
Categories: Religious organizations established in 1918 > American Jewish Congress
The American Jewish Congress describes itself as an association of Jewish Americans organized to defend Jewish interests at home and abroad through public policy advocacy, using diplomacy, legislation, and the courts.
Like the American Jewish Congress, another institution prominent in American Jewish life is the American Jewish Committee. It often goes by the initials AJC. For ease of identification, the two organizations are often referred to as the AJCongress or the AJCommittee.
In 1918, leaders within the American Jewish community, consisting of Jewish, Zionist, and immigrant community organizations, convened the first American Jewish Congress (AJCongress) in Philadelphia 's historic Independence Hall . Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, Felix Frankfurter, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, and others joined to lay the groundwork for a national democratic organization of Jewish leaders from all over the country, to rally for equal rights for all Americans regardless of race, religion or national ancestry.
In addition to its stated goals of equal rights for all, it was founded to broaden Jewish leadership and to present a unified American Jewish position at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. It became effective as a pressure group in 1928 under the leadership of Rabbi Wise, who remained the president and chief spokesperson of the AJCongress until his death in 1949.
Through its emphasis on human rights for all Americans; on protection by government of the weakest among us; and on a just society based on civil law and the Jewish concept of Tzedek—righteousness—the American Jewish Congress has made its mark to a remarkable degree on American society in general and Jewish well-being in particular.
Throughout the 1930s, Rabbi Wise, was vocal in his warnings about the dangers of Nazism. When Adolf Hitler was named chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933, Wise organized a mass protest rally at Madison Square Garden , in New York City. He did this despite strong opposition by the German government, the U.S. State Department, and conservative Jewish organizations such as AJCommittee and B'nai B'rith. The American Jewish Congress continued to organize protest rallies throughout the 1930s and 1940s. In August 1933 the American Jewish Congress led a general boycott of German goods.
In 1934, Daniel Marks was named head of the AJC. He traveled to Germany and brought 5,000 Jews to America.
In 1936 the American Jewish Congress was instrumental in establishing the World Jewish Congress (WJC). Maintaining his position as president of the AJCongress, Rabbi Wise was also elected president of the WJC. During World War II, the AJCongress acted as a liaison between the U.S. government and the WJC on issues relating to rescue attempts made on behalf of European Jews.
In August 1942, Rabbi Wise received a cable from Gerhard Riegner, the WJC representative in Switzerland. Riegner reported that the Nazis had planned, and were implementing a policy to exterminate all of European Jewry; the cable also referred specifically to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. After the State Department confirmed the accuracy of the information in the cable, now known as the "Riegner telegram," the AJCongress convened a Joint Emergency Committee. The committee sought to coordinate the major Jewish organizations in the United States to lobby the Roosevelt administration to take increased measures rescuing European Jews.
In December 1942 the American Jewish Congress established a Planning Committee, which sought support for a variety of rescue proposals. The committee was never more than marginally successful in mobilizing American public support for rescue efforts. The most impressive of these projects was another rally at Madison Square Garden. Held on March 1, 1943, the rally drew a crowd of 70,000. Similar rallies were subsequently held in a number of cities throughout the United States.
In August 1943 Rabbi Stephen Wise met Jan Karski.
The American Jewish Congress was pro-Zionist in its platform. Its leadership overlapped with that of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA). As a result, the two organizations agreed to concentrate on different tasks during the war. The American Jewish Congress dedicated itself to rescuing European Jews, while the ZOA worked to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. This arrangement continued after the war, although its significance decreased after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
AJCongress was a pioneer in the struggle for Soviet Jewry, long before it became a popular movement. Throughout the long battle to free Soviet Jews, AJCongress' voice was heard loud and clear on their behalf.
Domestically, AJCongress became active as well. It was the first Jewish organization to use law and legislation — the tools of democracy — to protect the rights of American Jews, at a time when other Jewish organizations were using appeals to good will to achieve this objective.
Rabbi Joachim Prinz (1902-88) was president from 1958 to 1966. He served as a founding chairman of the 1963 March on Washington and spoke at that event.
The 1980s and 1990s
Following its heyday during the 1960s, when many of its activities coincided with the larger American civil rights movement, a drop-off in its membership throughout the 1980s and 1990s ensued. It has since regrouped and is actively engaged in constitutional issues domestically and supporting Israel and challenging anti-Semitism abroad.
The First Amendment separation of church and state is emphasized at AJCongress naturally and inevitably as part of its insistence that Jews in the United States are not guests but full-fledged citizens by right. Key to accomplishing its mission is the belief, "That only through the assertion of – and defense of – human rights in general, can Jewish rights themselves be guaranteed, that only through the pursuit of social justice for all can it achieve the narrower goal of justice for Jewish Americans." With that, AJCongress has been involved in hundreds of Civil Rights and religious freedoms cases, before local, Federal and the United States Supreme Court. Brown v. Board of Ed. gave AJCongress its public entrée into the field of Constitutional defense agencies.
The group advocates removing religious symbols from public life, and thus filed a brief against allowing public displays of the menorah during Hanukkah in County of Allegheny v. ACLU.
Charitable choice
AJCongress monitors issues like "charitable choice" proposals, in which federal funds would be given to faith-based institutions to provide social services historically the responsibility of government.
The American Jewish Congress was the first mainstream Jewish organization with a membership of both men and women to devote considerable time, effort and resources to women's issues. The establishment in 1984 o the Commission for Women's Equality (CWE) was a direct result of these activities.
In recent years, CWE has turned its attention to the ethical, legal and medical issues arising from research revealing that Ashkenazi Jewish women have higher than expected frequencies of gene mutations predisposing them to breast and ovarian cancer. The 1996 conference, Understanding the Genetics of Breast Cancer: Implications for Treatment, Policy and Advocacy, organized by national CWE, has been duplicated by AJCongress regions nationwide. In 2000, CWE presented Cancer Genetics in the Ashkenazi Community, to explore medical breakthroughs since the first conference as well as new developments in genetic testing. This follow-up conference was distinctly more upbeat than its predecessor, both in terms of medical preventive measures and in regard to legislation to ensure privacy and eliminate discrimination based on testing.
The CWE most recently held a major women's conference in Tel Aviv , Israel in May 2006, bringing notable women of achievement like Anne F. Lewis, Lynn Sherr, anchor for ABC's 20/20, Irshad Manji, author of The Trouble with Islam, Bettina Plevan, Partner at Proskauer Rose LLP and former head of the New York Bar Association and others to a weeklong discussion on women's accomplishment and success . Carole E. Handler was the CWE's most recent Chair.
The AJC has participated in interfaith dialogue with the U.S. Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.
Israel Singer
In the fall of 2007, the AJCongress announced that it had retained the services of Rabbi Israel Singer, the former secretary general of the World Jewish Congress - who left the agency after claims of financial irregularities were levied following an investigation by the New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and followed up by accusations from WJC founder Edgar Bronfman about alleged theft. Jack Rosen, AJCongress' chairman has been accused of keeping the appointment from the agency's board and breaching protocol in doing so. At a December 2007 meeting of the Board's Executive Committee, Rosen was put on the spot and challenged by fellow board members who opposed the association with Rabbi Singer. Rosen has since indicated that he let Singer go, but as of January 2008, Singer has claimed it to be untrue.
On January 10, 2008, the American Jewish Congress (AJCongress) released an official statement critical of Ms. magazine's refusal to accept a full page advertisement honoring three prominent Israeli women: Dorit Beinisch (president of the Supreme Court of Israel ), Tzipi Livni (Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel), and Dalia Itzik (speaker of the Knesset ). The AJC press release states: "...'What other conclusion can we reach,' asked Richard Gordon, President of AJCongress, 'except that the publishers − and if the publishers are right, a significant number of Ms. Magazine readers − are so hostile to Israel that they do not even want to see an ad that says something positive about Israel?'...'Clearly Ms. has changed a great deal from the days when AJCongress members and leaders of the AJCongress' Commission for Women's Equality − including Betty Friedan, Bella Abzug and Ms. co-founder Letty Pogrebin − were at the forefront of the Women's Movement that led to the creation of Ms. Magazine.'
Katherine Spillar, executive editor of Ms. magazine responded to the AJCongress on Ms. magazine's website, denying an anti-Israel bias, stating that: "Ms. magazine has been criticized for not running an ad submitted by the American Jewish Congress (AJCongress) featuring the photographs of three prominent Israeli women leaders with the statement 'This is Israel.' In its press release, AJCongress claims that Ms. therefore must be 'hostile to Israel'. This is untrue and unfair... Indeed Israeli writers have reported in the pages of Ms. on the continuing efforts of the Israeli feminist movement to combat discrimination and achieve a larger voice for women in the country's political arena.' " She also levelled her own criticism: "...In a feature length story in the Spring 2006 issue of Ms., Israeli feminist scholar/activist Alice Shalvi catalogued the ongoing struggles to rectify such inequalities, including increasing women's representation in elected office and at the table negotiating for peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Women only comprise 14% of the Israeli Knesset , placing Israel 74th in the world for women's representation in government..."
The New York, Jewish Week reported that a number of leading Jewish feminists were mostly disappointed with Ms.'s decision to reject the ad: "Ms. Magazine's rejection of an ad celebrating three Israeli women leaders has prompted Jewish feminists here to charge that the magazine has adopted an anti-Israel posture. 'This is a feminism that has been utterly Palestinianized,' said Phyllis Chesler, one of five Jewish feminists who lashed out at the magazine this week. Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance founder Blu Greenberg told a press conference at the offices of the American Jewish Congress, whose ad Ms. Magazine rejected, that the leaders of the magazine 'have aligned themselves with those on the political far left whose agenda is to totally de-legitimate Israel on the stage of world opinion.'... Novelist Cynthia Ozick sent a letter to the AJCongress criticizing Ms. Magazine and saying it is 'now conspicuously exposed as having joined the anti-democratic anti-Israel totalitarian radical Left. A journal that once stood for free and open opportunity for all now shows itself to be among the haters: closed, narrow, insular, and above all cowardly.' And Susannah Heschel, a professor of Jewish studies at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., issued a statement saying she was 'profoundly disheartened by this foolish decision' of the magazine."..."
Location of materials for research on the American Jewish Congress
The Western Jewish History Center, of the Judah L. Magnes Museum, in Berkeley, California has a large collection of historical records and documents from the Northern California Division of the American Jewish Congress. Additionally, The American Jewish Historical Society has a large collection of archival records related to the American Jewish Congress. The American Jewish Historical Society is also engaged in a National Endowment for the Humanities [186040] funded project to process additional records related to the AJCongress Commission for Legal and Social Action and Commission for Women's Equality.
American Jewish Congress v. Bost
Ms. magazine rejects AJC ad honoring three Israeli women
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - American Jewish Congress
AJCongress Archives, American Jewish Historical Society
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Erin is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and other anxiety related disorders. Throughout her Psychology undergraduate degree, Erin quickly developed a passion for working with patients with anxiety, specifically the pediatric population. She also worked on a research team that focused on human-animal interaction and their impacts on mental health. In 2018, the research study was acknowledged and reported on by the Washington Post. Erin continued her education at the University of Pittsburgh where she obtained her Master's in Social Work while also providing in-home services for youth and their families. Throughout this experience, Erin successfully implemented Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) for a range of clients with differing diagnoses. Erin went on to work as a clinician for 4 years at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic's Pediatric OCD Intensive Outpatient Program. There, she functioned as a group clinician, honing her ability to provide effective Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) to children and teens struggling with debilitating OCD symptoms. Erin also acted as a family therapist, where she implemented both structural and systematic frameworks to target family dynamics that had been impacted by OCD. Throughout Erin's career, she has adapted and tailored a style that balances the use of humor and structure to alleviate struggles with OCD and anxiety and allows for every patient to feel comfortable and open to working through their treatment.
In Erin's free time, you can find her hiking with her husband, laughing with her friends, and chasing her rambunctious German Shepard around.
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If you cannot download the certificate of completion because you have not viewed specific modules, you can go back and view the modules and reapply for the certificate. Please remember, you have to view the modules in order. I.e. if you did not watch #3,4,8, and 9 modules previously you can go back and view them in that order beginning with #3.


We met Brenda Webster, novelist, critic, and translator, at her home in the Berkeley hills where she lives with her husband Ira Lapidus, author and Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic History at UC Berkeley. Her home, filled with light and art, is the same house she bought in 1963, where she and her first husband raised three children, and where Brenda's five grandchildren often visit today. Much of the art hanging on the walls is by Brenda's mother, the abstract expressionist painter Ethel Schwabacher, whose work will be exhibited in June at the Denver Art Museum.
Brenda's favorite painting by her mother, artist Ethel Schwabacher, hangs in the dining room. Brenda sits in her living room in front of a painting by artist Jose Guerrero.
When I was a girl, I wanted to be a painter like my mother—but I was completely without talent. So I started to explore my creativity by writing, first in journals then much later in novels. I've written five novels in this house.
It's called After Auschwitz: a Love Story and it's based on real people who live in Rome. It's about an old man in his 80s who's becoming demented. In order to keep his life in his mind, he starts keeping a journal, looking back at the early days of his marriage, looking back at his whole life with his wife. I loved writing this novel because it's based on a true story of a marriage. And I relate to his character.
I think I may be done. I have Parkinson's and I've tried to start writing about it. I wrote a sort of comic five pages but found I was stuck. It was narrated by a dopamine molecule. It was very funny but also contained a serious subject. I stuffed everything into five pages and then I didn't know what to do after that.
I like my study a lot, but it's not big enough to hold all the books that keep coming in. I'm a little frustrated now because I can't buy any more books. It's a small space but it has wonderful light coming from the windows and the skylight. It's a nice place to be creative and to write. And it leads out to the patio where you can see Mt. Tamalpais.
I also like the kitchen. It flows into the dining room where I sit every morning and read the paper.
What's the most unusual thing about your house?
This view is amazing. It's like a perpetually changing painting of the sky. From cloudy, like today, to red, blue, orange, purple—just wonderful colors, especially in the fall. You look over the tops of oak trees trimmed down so you can see the view. Beyond the trees, you see the Bay and two bridges, the Golden Gate and the Bay Bridge, and then Mt. Tam in the distance.
Oh, about 35. Actually, I'm thinking I could be 10. Or maybe a little older, like 12 when I was going into adolescence and starting to think about boys all the time.
Has your perspective changed as you've gotten older?
Yes. It suddenly hit my husband and me at the same time. "My God, we're getting old! How can this happen to us?!" It sounds funny, but we didn't ever think of ourselves that way. It's a challenge, especially if you have a disease like mine and have all these medications to take. But my husband manages to feel that way too without having anything wrong with him. He helps me with my medications, putting them in pill boxes for the week and then on four saucers for different times of day. I just have to remember to take them.
Watching the grandchildren going through their various stages. It's fascinating and very lively. Thinking about my grandchildren cheers me up if I start thinking I'm getting too old.
Well, it might be just about now. (She laughs.) I don't know.
Is it important for you to stay in your home?
I do want to stay in my home. I've joined a thing called Ashby Village. They're great, very interesting, smart people. They're all volunteers, they drive me to cardio class, and my Parkinson's dance class. They're all very helpful, which I appreciate. I'm now at a place in my life where I don't mind asking for help for some things.
Brenda was born in New York City in 1936. Today, she is the President of PEN West and remains active in the Bay Area literary community.


Kitsap County's Public Works department is asking commissioners to add a $20 car tab fee to help offset a revenue shortfall by 2022.
PORT ORCHARD — Kitsap County is considering a $20 car tab fee for residents living in unincorporated Kitsap to help pay for road improvements and maintenance.
The county's Public Works Department met with commissioners earlier this month to ask them to consider adding the $20 fee, which could be implemented without a public vote and would help stave off a revenue shortfall in the coming years.
Most of Public Works' operating fund revenue, about $28 million, comes from the road levy portion of county property tax. State law prevents increasing the levy by more than 1 percent per year plus new construction.
Revenue from the road levy has increased by 2 percent per year on average since 2004, according to County Engineer Jon Brand. The cost of labor and materials, as well as salaries, benefits and the portion of Public Works' operating fund that goes to the Sheriff's Office for traffic enforcement, has outstripped incoming revenue in that time.
"The current model where we look at revenue and expenditures leads to the conclusion in 2022 that we're really going to start feeling the pinch on this," Brand said.
Implementing a car tab fee of $20 would raise an estimated $2.8 million a year, but is likely to be unpopular. In a December survey put out by Public Works, almost half of respondents opposed the idea.
If approved, funds from the fee would go toward road maintenance projects like restriping roads, fixing potholes, chip sealing, traffic signal and sign upkeep and paying for traffic studies.
County commissioners asked to see more information and hear from experts before making a decision. Public Works is working on an outreach plan to take to the public with more information some time this summer.
"My beginning premise, whether in private business or county operations, is I'm not inclined to increase taxes if we can look for efficiency," Commissioner Ed Wolfe said.
Wolfe emphasized that he wanted to convene a committee of transportation experts and citizens to weigh in on the issue, an idea echoed by Commissioners Charlotte Garrido and Rob Gelder.
"I'm not going to say I support or deny until I see all the options," Wolfe said.
By statute, commissioners can form a Transportation Benefit District and implement a $20 car tab fee without a public vote. Bremerton's City Council approved a similar measure in 2011 and used the money to pay for repaving projects. The cities of Port Orchard and Bainbridge Island also have $20 car tab fees.
Commissioners also have the option to raise the fee to $40 per vehicle per year without a vote after two years.
Gelder, who oversees the north part of the county, said he supports the idea of car tab fee.
"As the population grows, we have more users of the system. It's going to be much more important to maintain the integrity of our road structures," Gelder said.
Gelder asked for a way to "carve out" fees from different parts of the county to benefit projects that are important to the people there. For example, Kingston residents paying an extra $20 should be able to see that money used for road improvements in Kingston.
"I think we need to have a way of breaking it down and sort of saying, 'If I'm paying, I want to know that they're going to benefit my local community as opposed to be part of a larger pool,'" Gelder said.
Garrido asked to see revenue trends and a pattern of spending from public works.
"I'm not sure there's a leaning one way or another for me, and I just need to learn more about what it would actually mean and what it would get for us," Garrido said.
There's no timeline yet on a decision, but Brand estimates the department could begin public outreach some time this summer. Public works is also looking at other options for funding, including going to the voters for a levy lid-lift, a local gas tax or another type of benefit district.
"If the commissioners and citizens want us to just live within our means, we can do that," Brand said, "but if they want to maintain the level of service we have now … if we don't make an investment, then in about 2022, 2023, we'll start feeling the effects of that decision."


text:
package com.testRunner.user.repository;

import com.testRunner.user.model.Role;
import org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.JpaRepository;

public interface RoleRepository extends JpaRepository<Role, Long>{
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Why are some church records missing?
The Jerripedia collection of Jersey church records of baptisms, marriages and burials, and post-1842 records of births, marriages and deaths, is the longest established and recognised as the most user-friendly for researchers.
Until 2017 the collection included records for the 12 parish churches up to 1842, and St Helier baptisms from 1842 to 1909. In addition, our associated Jerripediabmd database, from which the Jerripedia family records indexes are drawn, also includes birth records for the other 11 parishes from 1842 to about 1913 (depending on parish). These birth records from the Public Registry contain less information than the baptism records, but have nevertheless proved valuable to researchers since they were made available in 2015.
The original church registers were made public in January 2017, and this has enabled us to expand our collection of family records. This has now includes baptisms up to 1915 for most parishes, marriages and burials to 1940, and the records of seven further Church of England churches.
The dates for which records are now available are as follows:
Church Baptisms Marriages Burials
Grouville 1567-1871 1641-1940 1584-1940
St Brelade 1560-1915 1644-1936 1561-1935
St Clement 1623-1915 1612-1940 1622-1940
St Helier 1596-1915 1594-1939 1594-1940
All Saints Church, St Helier 1872-1915 1872-1939 1872-1940
St Andrew's Church, St Helier 1870-1872 1872-1940 1872-1940
St James Church, St Helier 1870-1915
St Luke's Church, St Helier 1847-1915 1852-1940
St Mark's Church, St Helier 1845-1915 1917-1940 1904-1940
St Simon's Church, St Helier 1843-1872 1872-1938
St John 1592-1904 1600-1940 1582-1940
St Lawrence 1600-1891 1650-1940 1600-1887
St Martin 1594-1892 1547-1940 1593-1933
Gouray Church, St Martin 1875-1915 1900-1940
St Mary 1610-1915[1] 1648-1940 1571-1867
St Ouen 1600-1915 1605-1940 1604-1868
St Peter 1609-1887 1626-1940 1626-1940
St Saviour 1540-1915 1542-1895 1541-1896
Trinity 1546-1889 1612-1940 1602-1940
It will be seen that there is a considerable difference between the starting dates for the registers of the 12 parishes. Some have records going back to the 16th century, others do not start until well into the 17th century. Although the records released to Ancestry are promoted as finishing at 1915 for baptisms and 1940 for marriages and burials, it will be seen that some stop at significantly earlier dates.
In 1534 Henry VIII was recognised as head of the newly created Church of England and all ties with the Pope and the church in Rome were severed. Four years later Thomas Cromwell ordered all parish ministers to keep a record of baptisms, marriages, and burials. This record became known as the "parish register". None of the Jersey registers goes back quite that far. The earliest is the St Saviour marriage register, which starts from 1542.
It was originally thought that different Jersey parishes had started their registers at different times, but now it is believed that they all probably started at roughly the same time in the 16th century. Many early registers were in very poor condition by the 19th century, when copies were made, and it is believed that some had been lost and could not be copied. This is now believed to be the explanation for the 80-year gap between the earliest and latest starting dates.
Those registers which were made public in January 2017 were largely the 19th century copies, although some are originals. They do not all go back as far as the transcriptions from which our early records were drawn, so it is likely that the Jerripedia database still has the most extensive online collection of church records.
It also has the most accurate records, because we have put an enormous amount of work into correcting the errors found in the transcriptions made in the 1980s and '90s, and the far greater number of errors in the most recent Ancestry transcriptions. There are so many spelling errors in surnames that many researchers stand a slim chance of finding some ancestors through an Ancestry search.
We do not claim that our records are error-free, and we welcome any corrections suggested by users and take steps to update the database as quickly as possible. A major review of the database was started towards the end of 2018 and continued into 2019, leading to the discovery of a significant number of records which were wrongly transcribed, both by the CIFHS team in the 1980s and '90s, and by Ancestry when they put the records online in 2017. This ongoing review will continue until some 500,000 records have been checked.
Missing records
However comprehensive our database can now claim to be, inevitably researchers will find records absent for some ancestors they are convinced should be included. There can be a number of reasons for this.
But before assuming that a record is missing, it is worth extending your search as widely as possible.
Look elsewhere?
Perhaps the records for a particular ancestor do not appear in the parish where you expected to find them, but may be in the registers of another church. Sometimes a family living near the border between two parishes would change which of the two closest parish churches they attended and records of baptisms of some of their children appear in one register, but others were baptised in a different parish. When the time came to give information about their children in the early 19th century censuses, parents may have rightly declared that all their children were born in one parish, whereas they were actually baptised in different churches.
Couples often chose to marry, not in the church of the parish in which one or both of them was living, but in a different parish. People who were staying with relatives or friends in a parish other than their home parish when they died might have been buried in the parish where they were staying.
There are many reasons why a record may appear in a register other than the one you were expecting. You can avoid the need to check through all 12 parish indexes by searching our database, which allows you to look for a particular record in a single parish, or across the whole island. Access to this database could not be easier easier. You can click on any of the links which will be found throughout Jerripedia and start searching immediately, without the need to register.
And, most importantly, because we are no longer updating the indexes in Jerripedia, using our advanced search facility is essential if you want to ensure that you are accessing the most complete set available anywhere of up-to-date and accurate records
Different spellings
The database also comes into its own if the spelling of your ancestor's surname is uncertain. For example, looking for Heaume, du Heaume or Duheaume in the index might involve a difficult search, but in the searchable database a search for Heaume will find all variations. The same is true for two very common surnames, Gruchy and de Gruchy, and other difficult searches such as Issau and Esau.
The registers have been transcribed twice before arriving at the indexes which are available today at Jersey Archive and the library of La Société Jersiaise. As stated above, the first transcription took place in either the late 18th or early 19th century, when registers then in existence were copied. Some records inevitably were lost in this process, either because of transcription errors or because the entries in early registers could simply not be deciphered.
The second transcription process in the 1980s and '90s involved the creation of full indexes for all the surviving registers by members of the Channel Islands Family History Society. This process is not believed to have resulted in the loss of many more records - indeed, some of the transcribers looked elsewhere than in the parish church registers for missing records and added them to the indexes they produced.
But some records may have been overlooked in this process and it is only now with the publication of images of the original register entries that new searches can be made for missing records. We use sophisticated reporting procedures to check our records line-by-line with the parish records, identifying and adding any found to be missing. This is an ongoing process and the database grows in size day by day.
Further checks planned
Initially we concentrated in 2017 on adding records to our database from the church registers of baptisms, marriages and burials in the years after 1842. We then began the process of checking for records missing from earlier registers.
Our main effort has been directed to records from the parish of St John, because those available at Jersey Archive and the library of La Société Jersiaise have been far from complete, the original transcriptions having been lost in suspicious circumstances. The records in our database covered only a limited number of families and some date ranges were missing even for those families. We have worked hard to fill the gaps and provide as comprehensive a record set for St John as for the other parishes. Baptism and burial records have been updated in the database and are now largely complete. Work continued in 2019 to add missing marriages.
There are also a number of smaller gaps in the records of other parishes and we have to check whether these are covered in the published registers. We know that some single pages of transcriptions were taken from folders and not replaced and we hope to complete the record sets from the registers.
As if all this is not enough to cause researchers, looking in vain for a record of an ancestor, to despair, there are some records of baptisms, marriages and burials which never made it into the parish registers in the first place.
Today at a baptism or marriage the parish register entry is made in the presence of those involved in the ceremony, and burial records are also witnessed by family members. But in days gone by the Rector would make a note (sometimes in very poor handwriting) of the requisite information at the time of the ceremony, and these would be collected in batches for later addition to the register by either the Rector or a churchwarden. Sometimes the notes were lost.
Also, some Rectors, although happy to draw the salary to which their appointment in Jersey entitled them, were absent from the parishes for long periods, and in a small number of cases never actually took up the appointment. The work of conducting church services, including those for baptisms, marriages and burials, was entrusted to a Curate or the Rector of another church. Although they accepted their responsibility for conducting the services, some did not feel obliged to make the necessary entries in the parish registers afterwards.
Other records were deliberately withheld from church registers as an act of rebellion during the period in the 17th century when Jersey was under Parliamentary control during the English Civil War.
No baptisms
Another point worth bearing in mind is that not all children were baptised. The proportion of parents who chose not to take their children to church for the ceremony was very small in the early years - it was virtually compulsory to do so, and usually on the first Sunday after the birth. But as the 19th century progressed, more parents had no contact with the church and children were not baptised. The proportion of unbaptised children grew further in the 20th century.
Although in recent years it has been possible to marry in a Registry Office ceremony, and people have chosen to be cremated rather than buried, for the period covered by our records all burials were in parish cemeteries.
In addition to the licensing of a number of new Church of England churches to carry out baptisms, marriages and burial services in the second half of the 19th century, churches of other denominations, including Roman Catholic and Methodist, also have records of family events. Not only have the majority not yet been transcribed and digitised by Jersey Archive, but the work which was started in 2017 on Roman Catholic records was at a standstill for nearly two years and still makes little progress. We have plans to add the RC records to our database, once sufficient numbers have been transcribed to make this worthwhile.
Given all the above, it is perhaps remarkable that so many records of the baptisms, marriages and burials of islanders, both rich and poor, have survived over nearly 500 years. This article has offered an explanation of why a proportion have not.
↑ Effective commencement of register 1648. Only handful of earlier entries survive
Retrieved from "http://jerripedia.com/index.php/Why_are_some_church_records_missing%3F"
This page was last modified on 3 February 2020, at 09:58.


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WITH no fewer than EIGHT players out injured, Oldham are currently fighting for Championship survival with a depleted squad that is short of numbers.
Currently on the casualty list are Jamel Chisholm (finger), Tom Ashton (knee), Craig Briscoe (knee), Danny Grimshaw (groin), Jack Spencer (hand), Richard Lepori (shoulder), Jon Ford (knee) and Will Hope (ankle).
The 42-18 defeat at Batley, the fourth league loss in a row, kept Roughyeds second from bottom, but with the exception of Dewsbury's surprise 16-14 win at Bradford, all other weekend results went Oldham's way with losses for Whitehaven, Workington, Sheffield and Swinton.
Swinton conceded 58 at Featherstone, Sheffield let in 60 at Halifax and Workington were hit for 50 at London Broncos, these results enforcing Oldham's position as the club with the best for-and-against difference among the bottom few.
"We are also hoping to have some bodies back soon and that should make a big difference," said coach Scott Naylor, who thought his injury-depleted squad put up a good fight at the Fox's Biscuits Stadium.
Oldham go to Dewsbury Rams on Sunday, followed by a visit from Bradford Bulls on Wednesday week, June 15 and then a trip to London on Sunday, June 19 — three games in eight days including two against full-time opponents and a long trip to the capital.
Roughyeds will take comfort, though, from the fact that they have only reached the half-way point of the season, taking into account the Championship Shield matches involving the bottom eight which take the total number of games to 30.
They have still to play must-win home games against Whitehaven, Swinton and Workington, whom they will then meet again in the 'Eights'.


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Trippie Redd And Busta Rhymes Connect In Their 'I Got You' Video
blame it on Wongo September 11, 2020
Continuing work on his upcoming Pegasus album, Trippie Redd calls on Busta Rhymes — yeah I know, not the collaboration I expected either — for their new song, "I Got You."
Propelled by an interpolation of Busta and Mariah Carey's 2002 track "I Know What You Want," Trippie and Busta voice their love to their respective love interests. Sharing the track with a matching visual, Trippie helps Busta find his long lost lover, who so happens to be the mother of Trippie's love interest.
The track also arrives after Trippie's "Excitement" collab with PARTYNEXTDOOR and Busta's "The Don & The Boss" track with Vybz Kartel.
Check it out below.
Trippie Redd And Busta Rhymes Connect In Their 'I Got You' Video was last modified: September 11th, 2020 by Wongo
Tags:busta rhymes, Trippie Redd
Dame D.O.L.L.A. & Snoop Dogg Salute "KOBE!" On New Single
Mulatto – "On God" (Video)


Antes do referendo pela despenalização da IVG, em frente da Igreja de S. Domingos, Rossio, Lisboa.
A wall can be an ideological battlefield, overlaying graffiti the weapons.
This metal wall around a construction site, near the Casa dos Bicos, in downtown Lisbon, was sprayed with swastikas and a celtic cross (these particular fascists are somewhat ignorant of their own symbology, for they painted left-spinning swastikas). A few days later, someone transformed the swastikas into curtained windows and wrote "Nazis no Lixo" (Nazis in the trash) and "Recicla a Atitude" (Recycle your Attitude). The third phrase was already there, prior to the neo-nazi garbage, and reads "O mundo está escuro, ilumina a tua parte" (The world is dark, iluminate your share).


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