Daily Log

ROCKS team responsibilties
* convert ticket to projects
* application consolidation
* six sigma interface team
* create and apply best practices

Imagine Notepad automatically appending the timestamp every time you open it to write some info.

Take a look at this –


1. Create a blank text file with .LOG as the first line of the file, followed by a carriage return. Save the file with any .txt extension.

2. Double-click the file to open it and notice that Notepad appends the current date and time to the end of the file and places the cursor on the line after.

3. Type your notes and then save and close the file.

my wife went to i-x center to shop gemstones... here are the few she bought...

rajavarthi
coral
jade

she found precious ones too... so expensive she could not even breath.. diamond -- $2,500

3/21/07 - VVF Ltd, an Indian manufacturer of soaps, oleochemicals, personal and homecare products, has recently acquired Colgate's Kansas manufacturing plant at a cost of Rs 100 crore. Of this, Rs 60 crore involves acquisition expenses and Rs 40 crore for modernisation of the plant.


10/20/06 - Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus accepts a $7.6 billion takeover bid by Tata Steel

What is a normal course issuer bid, and how might it affect the price of a stock? (February 14, 2002)
A company makes a normal course issuer bid when it wants to buy back its own shares. The bid is filed with securities regulators outlining the amount of stock the company proposes to buy over a given period of time. The company is not bound to do so, and typically the bid will be for more stock than is actually repurchased. Consequently, when you see a reference to a normal course issuer bid, what you are dealing with is a repurchase where the company intends to cancel the shares. Such action can increase share value as there will be fewer outstanding after the repurchase, so it can be seen as a good thing. On the other hand, the money used for repurchase is no longer available for capital investment.

Labels: finance

Chikungunya is a relatively rare form of viral fever caused by an alphavirus that is spread by mosquito bites from the Aedes aegypti mosquito, though recent research by the Pasteur Institute in Paris claims the virus has suffered a mutation that enables it to be transmitted by Aedes Albopictus (Tiger mosquito). This was the cause of the actual plague in the Indian Ocean and a threat to the mediterranean coast at present, requiring urgent meetings of health officials of France, Italy and Spain, but nothing seems to be moving that way.

Chikungunya is not considered to be fatal. However, in 2005-2006, 200 deaths have been associated with chikungunya on Réunion island and a widespread outbreak in Southern India (especially in Tamil Nadu,Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh); see Recent outbreaks below. Tamil Nadu reportedly had the largest number of cases, as of July 2006, specifically centered around the southern districts of Madurai and Tirunelveli, with the number of reported cases increasing greatly in Salem,Chennai and Chengalpattu districts.

Toshiba 5005 Class Action Settlement Update .
December 3, 2005

while significant progress has been made in the handling of the claims administration there have been a number of "hickups" that have caused unnecessary and unreasonable delays for some of our class members. I am working diligently to try and smooth out these unfortunate hangups and continue to work, daily, on claims administration issues.

October 17, 2005


I know those of you who have submitted your computers to the claims administrator are wondering when your settlement funds will be issued. I have been advised by Rosenthal, the claims administrator, that they will be issuing checks on a weekly basis. Their turn-around time, from the day they receive your computer until they issue your check, should be approximately 10-14 business days. Both the first checks and first credits have already been issued. The process is continuing, and thank you for your patience.



September 20, 2005

I have just been advised by Rosenthal & Co. that 80% of the checks have now been mailed. Despite the earlier statements, to me, that the funds had been sent on September 9, 2005, it now appears the majority, if not ALL, of the checks, were being sent TODAY. This error, I have been advised, was not caused by Toshiba, but was an administrative error at Rosenthal & Co. In any event here are the current statistics: 1) 80% of the settlement funds are now in the mail 2) 10% of the boxes have been distributed the remaining 90% should be out by the Friday 3) there are approximately 2000 claims that have a problem. Most simply don't have the signature of the class member. Letters are being sent out, this week, advising those class members about the problem and what they need to do in order to remedy the situation. I will continue to keep you updated on the status of the settlement process. Paul Kiesel, Esq.


September 19, 2005

I was startled to learn today, despite the assurances I had previously received from Rosenthal & Co., that all of the settlement checks had been sent out approximately September 9, the facts seem to suggest otherwise. Needless to say I am very unhappy, as I know many of you are as well. There is simply no, and I mean NO, excuse for any further delays. I have requested specific information about when the settlement checks were sent, how many were sent, and how many remain to be distributed. Further those of you who requested the return and test option should have received boxes for shipping and, if not, you should receive these boxes immediately. Please feel free to monitor this page for further updates. My sincere apology to all of you who have waited so patiently for receipt of your settlement funds. Paul Kiesel, Esq.

September 7, 2005

I was advised by Rosenthal & Co. there was a slight delay in the issuance of checks for those requesting the $500 cash settlement option. The checks should be sent out on Friday, September 9th. Should there be any change in that I will post a new update. I am also attempting to find out when the Claims Administrators will send out packing boxes for those of you selecting the testing and return option. As always thanks for your continued patience and support.


August 23, 2005

Rosenthal & Co., the claims administrators, are in the process of finalizing claims received prior to the cut off of June 27, 2005. I have been assured that Rosenthal will be issuing the first series of $500 checks by August 31, 2005. Approximately 7000 class members will be in this first round of payments. Please allow approximately 14 days for you to receive the actual check.If you were eligible to participate in the $1000 or $1500 credit voucher category Rosenthal will be shipping you a box to package your computer and return to them. The turnaround time between sending in your computer and the issuance of a check or credit should be no more then approximately 10 to 14 days. I will continue to keep everyone advised on the progress of the settlement process.Should you have any questions as to whether or not your claim was actually received and processed by Rosenthal & Co. he should contact them at 800.211.5201.

July 27, 2005

The time to submit claims to participate in this class action ENDED on June 27, 2005. Unfortunately, if you have not previously submitted a claim to participate in the class action settlement you are now PREVENTED from doing so. For those of you who submitted a claim to Rosenthal & Co. the claims administrators, here's what's happening. After the claim period ended Rosenthal is going through the process of verifying which claims fall into the significant impairment and those which fall into the severe impairment level. As for the significant impairment group it is anticipated the accepted claims will be paid the $500 by the end of August. The warranty, however, IS IN EFFECT as of July 15, 2005. Therefore, if you require warranty repairs the Toshiba Authorized Repair Facilities are now in a position to perform those repairs, at no cost to you, for the next 18 months. Finally, for those who submitted claims for the $1,000 or $1,500 voucher category, it will take a bit more time as the logistics for the return, testing and payment on these machines is implemented. I will continue to keep everyone updated as information becomes available. Again my sincere thanks to you all for your patience, understanding and confidence.

May 2, 2005

I am very pleased to report on April 25, 2005, Judge Carolyn Kuhl approved the final settlement of the Toshiba class-action involving the 5005 satellite computer. To date, thousands of 5005 owners have submitted their claims to Rosenthal & Company, the claims administrator in charge of processing settlement claims. If you have not previously submitted a claim, either electronically or by submitting a "paper" claim form, you have only until June 27, 2005 to do so. Should you fail to file a claim with the claims administrator before June 27, 2005 you will lose your right to participate in the settlement and forever forfeit your right to obtain a recovery in this action.

For those of you who have already submitted claims forms, processing of claims will BEGIN shortly after June 27, 2005. Pursuant to the terms of the Settlement Agreement -- those individuals who have chosen to receive a payment of $500 -- you should anticipate the settlement funds will begin being distributed just after the claim period ends in July, just a few short months from now. Your warranty extension will become effective at that time as well. For those class members who have selected to have their machines tested by the independent testing facility you will be instructed on how to have your machines shipped to Toshiba shortly after June 27, 2005. You will be provided with specific shipping instructions as well as shipping materials for use in sending your computer to the testing facility. As always, should you have any specific questions about the claims administration process, please call the claims administrator, Rosenthal & Company, at their toll-free number 1-800-207-0343 or feel free to send me an e-mail.

Congratulations to you all. It has been an honor and a privilege to represent the members of this class action.

A stock buyback, also known as a "share repurchase", is a company's buying back its shares from the marketplace. You can think of a buyback as a company investing in itself, or using its cash to buy its own shares. The idea is simple: because a company can’t act as its own shareholder, repurchased shares are absorbed by the company, and the number of outstanding shares on the market is reduced. When this happens, the relative ownership stake of each investor increases because there are fewer shares, or claims, on the earnings of the company.


Suppose a company repurchases one million shares at $15 per share for a total cash outlay of $15 million. Below are the components of the ROA and earnings per share (EPS) calculations and how they change as a result of the buyback.




As you can see, the company’s cash hoard has been reduced from $20 million to $5 million. Because cash is an asset, this will lower the total assets of the company from $50 million to $35 million. This then leads to an increase in its ROA, even though earnings have not changed. Prior to the buyback, its ROA was 4% ($2 million/$50 million) but after the repurchase, ROA increases to 5.71% ($2 million/$35 million). A similar effect can be seen in the EPS number, which increases from $0.20 ($2 million/10 million shares) to $0.22 ($2 million/9 million shares).

The buyback also helps to improve the company’s price-earnings ratio (P/E). The P/E ratio is one of the most well-known and often-used measures of value. At the risk of oversimplification, when it comes to the P/E ratio, the market often thinks lower is better. Therefore, if we assume that the shares remain at $15, the P/E ratio before the buyback is 75 ($15/$0.2); after the buyback, the P/E decreases to 68 ($15/$0.22) due to the reduction in outstanding shares. In other words, fewer shares + same earnings = higher EPS!

Based on the P/E ratio as a measure of value, the company is now less expensive than it was prior to the repurchase despite the fact there was no change in earnings.

Are share buybacks good or bad? As is so often the case in finance, the question may not have a definitive answer. If a stock is undervalued and a buyback truly represents the best possible investment for a company, the buyback - and its effects - can be viewed as a positive sign for shareholders. Watch out, however, if a company is merely using buybacks to prop up ratios, provide short-term relief to an ailing stock price or to get out from under excessive dilution.