Progression Dementia Parkinson's

This post has no content created by me. It's a bunch of quotes from links I collected. 

The following is the Google search results for the words in the blog heading

https://www.google.com/search?q=progression+of+Parkinson%27s+dementia+until+death&oq=progression+of+Parkinson%27s+dementia+until+death&aqs=chrome..69i57.15080j1j7&client=ms-android-samsung-gj-rev1&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

These are the some of the interesting links and excerpts.

https://www.gmjournal.co.uk/management-of-parkinson-s-disease-symptoms-in-the-last-days-of-life-a-review-and-guide

Can a patient’s ability to make decisions in the last days of life be impaired and how is this managed?

In a North American study of 47 carers of idiopathic PD patients in the last months of life most described the goal of care as comfort, and almost half “of the patients were described as unable to make any decisions in the last month of life.” " 

https://www.verywellhealth.com/end-stage-parkinson-s-disease-hospice-criteria-5205423

• "Significant speech changes: Patients may have a very soft voice and experience speech freezing (when they cannot get their words out).
• Increased fall risk: Patients are at an increased risk of falling from a combination of poor balance, severe stiffness, and orthostatic hypotension (low blood pressure when changing positions).
• Severe dysphagia: Difficulty swallowing can lead to weight loss, malnutrition, dehydration, and a lung infection called aspiration pneumonia.
• To clarify, rapid disease progression means that patients are bedridden, have unintelligible speech, require a pureed diet, and/or need major assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs). All of these symptoms or circumstances are common in end-stage PD.
• "A critical nutrition impairment is common in end-stage PD and means that patients are:

Unable to maintain sufficient fluid/calorie intake

Continue to lose weight

Experience dehydration

Refuse artificial feeding methods

https://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-disease/guide/drug-treatments

"Like the newly reported study, patients who were older when their Parkinson’s disease was diagnosed had a greater risk for early death."

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/end-life-care-people-dementia

Support for Dementia Caregivers at the End of Life

Caring for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias at home can be demanding and stressful for the family caregiver. Depression is a problem for some family caregivers, as is fatigue, because many feel they are always on call. Family caregivers may have to cut back on work hours or leave work altogether because of their caregiving responsibilities.

Many family members taking care of a person with advanced dementia at home feel relief when death happens—for themselves and for the person who died. It is important to realize such feelings are normal. 

https://parkinsonsdisease.net/basics/stages

Stage four of Parkinson’s disease

In stage four, PD has progressed to a severely disabling disease. Patients with stage four PD may be able to walk and stand unassisted, but they are noticeably incapacitated. Many use a walker to help them.

At this stage, the patient is unable to live an independent life and needs assistance with some activities of daily living. The necessity for help with daily living defines this stage. If the patient is still able to live alone, it is still defined as stage three.

Stage five of Parkinson’s disease

Stage five is the most advanced and is characterized by an inability to rise from a chair or get out of bed without help, they may have a tendency to fall when standing or turning, and they may freeze or stumble when walking.

Around-the-clock assistance is required at this stage to reduce the risk of falling and help the patient with all daily activities. At stage five, the patient may also experience hallucinations or delusions.

While the symptoms worsen over time, it is worth noting that some patients with PD never reach stage five. Also, the length of time to progress through the different stages varies from individual to individual. Not all the symptoms may occur in one individual either. For example, one person may have a tremor but balance remains intact. In addition, there are treatments available that can help at every stage of the disease. However, the earlier the diagnosis, and the earlier the stage at which the disease is diagnosed, the more effective the treatment is at alleviating symptoms.

https://www.compassus.com/for-caregivers/end-of-life-signs-the-final-days-and-hours nice suggestions

https://www.healthline.com/health/parkinsons/stages#stage-4

What is Parkinson’s disease?

Parkinson’s disease (Parkinsonism) is marked by the presence of certain recognizable symptoms. These include uncontrollable shaking or tremor, lack of coordination, and speaking difficulties. However, symptoms vary and may worsen as the disease progresses.

The main symptoms of Parkinson’s include:

• uncontrollable shaking and tremors
• slowed movement (bradykinesia)
• balance difficulties and eventual problems standing up
• stiffness in limbs

Many doctors who diagnose this brain disorder rely on the Hoehn and Yahr rating scale to classify the severity of symptoms. The scale is broken into five stages based on disease progression. The five stages help doctors evaluate how far the disease has advanced.

Stage 1

Stage 1 is the mildest form of Parkinson’s. At this stage, there may be symptoms, but they’re not severe enough to interfere with daily tasks and overall lifestyle. In fact, the symptoms are so minimal at this stage that they’re often missed. But family and friends may notice changes in your posture, walk, or facial expressions.

A distinct symptom of stage 1 Parkinson’s is that tremors and other difficulties in movement are generally exclusive to one side of the body. Prescribed medications can work effectively to minimize and reduce symptoms at this stage.

Stage 2

Stage 2 is considered a moderate form of Parkinson’s, and the symptoms are much more noticeable than those experienced in stage 1. Stiffness, tremors, and trembling may be more noticeable, and changes in facial expressions can occur.

While muscle stiffness prolongs task completion, stage 2 does not impair balance. Difficulties walking may develop or increase, and the person’s posture may start to change.

People at this stage feel symptoms on both sides of the body (though one side may only be minimally affected) and sometimes experience speech difficulties.

The majority of people with stage 2 Parkinson’s can still live alone, though they may find that some tasks take longer to complete. The progression from stage 1 to stage 2 can take months or even years. And there is no way to predict individual progression.

Stage 3

Stage 3 is the middle stage in Parkinson’s, and it marks a major turning point in the progression of the disease. Many of the symptoms are the same as those in stage 2. However, you’re now more likely to experience loss of balance and decreased reflexes. Your movements become slower overall. This is why falls become more common in stage 3.

Parkinson’s significantly affects daily tasks at this stage, but people are still able to complete them. Medication combined with occupational therapy may help decrease symptoms.

Stage 4

Independence separates people with stage 3 Parkinson’s from those with stage 4. During stage 4, it’s possible to stand without assistance. However, movement may require a walker or other type of assistive device.

Many people are unable to live alone at this stage of Parkinson’s because of significant decreases in movement and reaction times. Living alone at stage 4 or later may make many daily tasks impossible, and it can be dangerous.

Stage 5

Stage 5 is the most advanced stage of Parkinson’s disease. Advanced stiffness in the legs can also cause freezing upon standing, making it impossible to stand or walk. People in this stage require wheelchairs, and they’re often unable to stand on their own without falling. Around-the-clock assistance is required to prevent falls.

Up to 50 percent of people at stages 4 and 5 experience confusion, hallucinations, and delusions. Hallucinations occur when you see things that aren’t there. Delusions happen when you believe things that aren’t true, even when you have been presented with evidence that your belief is wrong.

Dementia is also common, affecting between 50 and 80 percent of people with Parkinson’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. 

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support/help-dementia-care/recognising-when-someone-reaching-end-their-life

"Signs of late-stage dementia

Some symptoms of later-stage dementia can suggest the person is reaching the final stage  of their condition. These include:

• speech limited to single words or phrases that may not make sense
• having a limited understanding of what is being said to them
• needing help with most everyday activities
• eating less and having difficulties swallowing
• bowel and bladder incontinence
• being unable to walk or stand, problems sitting up and becoming bed-bound.

If a person with dementia has most or all of these symptoms, they are probably nearing the end of their life. They may have other problems such as being very frail, having infections that keep coming back, or pressure ulcers (bedsores).

Signs of the dying process

As someone’s condition gets worse and they are within a few days or hours of dying, further changes are common. The person may:

• deteriorate more quickly than before
• lose consciousness
• be unable to swallow
• become agitated or restless
• develop an irregular breathing pattern
• have a chesty or rattly sound to their breathing
• have cold hands and feet.

These changes are part of the dying process when the person is often unaware of what is happening.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320794#after-death

Additional reading 

• https://www.verywellhealth.com/movies-about-dementia-and-alzheimers-disease-97664
• Caregivers: Don’t Forget to Care for Yourself
  
• https://neurosciencenews.com/dementia-blueberries-20562/
  
• https://neurosciencenews.com/parkinsons-biomarker-20673/ Marker to detect Parkinson's 
• https://neurosciencenews.com/aging-depression-21228/
  
• https://wapo.st/3FtxS3b: Relief at the end
  
• https://wapo.st/3F8CYkh: Walking reduces possibility of dementia
  

Righteous Judging

I had a dilemma. I consider myself a very judgmental person while many friends would tell me they were comfortable with me cause i was not judgmental and that they could let their guards down. I was confused.

Then I read this today.

https://www.facebook.com/102287058636236/posts/252378670293740/

Maybe the judging that people talk about is an emotional variety. Or non-righteous variety ((Answer to What do you mean about "judging people"? by Heather Jensen https://www.quora.com/What-do-you-mean-about-judging-people/answer/Heather-Jensen-31?ch=15&oid=279768304&share=a1e70c5e&srid=JCl2&target_type=answer). The emotional variety is inconsistently applied and generally used to taunt. And hence perhaps is more hurtful than the righteous judgment. This example of emotional judging is interesting: Answer to What does it mean to judge someone? by Ikshita Khanna

While I consider myself very judgmental perhaps as the Quora article indicates, I might indulge in righteous judgment, subjecting myself to the same rules that I apply to everyone. And may be this is more acceptable to people. That's why maybe friends tell me I don't judge them 

One thing I do not do is look at other people's circumstance (unlike what Heather says in the Quora article). The moment we empathise, we cannot judge righteously. 

Issues With Similar Nature

What happens when two people live together and when both of them are weak in an important aspect that is essential to survive?

In this case both the people are grumpy, incapable of having fun, want things to be exactly so. And unfortunately things aren't good in their lives. 

While I am a strong proponent of the belief that only people having similar traits can get along well.. Here is a situation where dissimilar traits would have been far better. 

That made my mind wander. When a person lacks an important trait and when they are with another person who also lacks it and when they are forced in a situation where they need the trait then life for them becomes a nightmare. 

Similar traits become easier for communication.

Dissimilar traits are good to create a nice novelty factor AND to be able to survive when one of them lacks a survival trait (for example perseverance, positive nature). 

A very negative joyless nature in both people creates havoc when times are difficult for an extended period of time. Both parties try to get their lives back to normalcy but it's difficult.

A Profile Description

She is very emotional.

Has a complete lack of understanding of personal responsibility in the context of cause and effect. 

Imagine someone raped me. I slapped him. And then explains what happened that he did such a thing to me. We discuss it. And then he questions me why I slapped him. And that's all he remembers of the event. Not what he did earlier. 

This is how she is. Doesn't take responsibility for her action at all.

A liar, emotionally manipulative. Isn't capable of generosity. In case of emergency, would want to make sure she doesn't get stressed. Hates stress to herself. Extremely poor sleeper. 

Is capable of moving from saying she loves someone to the point where she wants to sleep with someone else in the space of 5 minutes.

Emotionally manipulative enough to know how to guide someone to propose to her and get him to want to sleep with her - her lack of touch with reality would make her claim that the other person proposed all on his own. When she explained her plan to get intimate with her old flame it was eye opening. 

Nice enough that her kids are comfortable with her and like spending time with her. Has a bunch of friends and colleagues that she is in regular touch with.

Her emotional needs are insatiable. Likely pointing to NPD and or BPD while she jokingly referred to bipolar in herself. 

If someone has an emergency she would say she will be there. And she would mean it literally. She will be there. Not doing much, perhaps texting or otherwise keeping herself engaged in things not relevant to the emergency.

Can't be relied upon to be consistently dependable and organized. 

Is very bright and intuitive. 

She has a tendency to take key words out of a sentence and create a different meaning out of the sentence. 

For example, if someone said they disliked prostitutes taking money for sex she might interpret that to mean that the person called her a prostitute. 

Has a huge void inside her like an emotional black hole and she seeks to fill it. She needs a person who will live for her, whether she can or will reciprocate is something she really doesn't much care about. Dedication to any person or thing doesn't come easily to her.

The love she proclaims that she has for an adult is the love that a woman has for chocolate. Not the love that a mother has for a child.

While her knowledge of maths and numbers is fairly limited, a maths problem at the level of grade 5 may be difficult for her, she says she teaches her children (in class 9) maths. This is an example of how she misrepresents reality. The truth perhaps (a guess) is that she sits with them and keeps them company and suggests that the children read this book or call up that friend to solve the problem and makes tea for them. Most mothers do this. This is not teaching maths. 

Claims that she knows a language when she can understand it at best and hardly speak it. This claim wasn't made in jest.

She said that her husband complained to her that she wasn't all there with him ever. She acknowledged that this was so.

She is preoccupied with her own emotions. Even when with her so called ideal man she said she would be on dating site chatting up others.

While she claims she is a very good housewife and mother, my belief is she spends way too much time with her own activities. 

In short, a very high maintenance person. She is used to a very high class of living. A kind that she most likely cannot get with her own efforts. 

All the good things in her life have been provided for to her. Her best accomplishments would not be commensurate with what she has been given.

She is not much bound my normal sense of restraint. She stays in the marital home because of her needs for the comforts that it provides while disliking the provider. I am sure she thinks she is an equal to "the provider" because she is married to him and has borne his children.

She has a high sense of self worth, perhaps out of very high needs. She is likely to suck the life out of any adult who is close to her so much so that they may wish to have her leave soon. There is a good amount of arrogance - the casual use of words that put down others. 

While she asserts that people hurt her often and that she is a doormat, I think she hurts others much more often. 

She claims that in relationships she assumes the guilt whenever there is an issue. But she frequently blames the other party for the issues. Her behaviour, according to her, have not been the cause but then she says she assumes the guilt, giving herself a saintly aura.

She comes very close to a person having a personality disorder. She claims she never gets angry. She is capable of extremely intense emotions including anger.

Relationship with her ideal man is more of satisfying her own needs and would involve little of satisfying his. 

She is self centred, unempathetic, extremely needy, controlling. And constantly on an emotional rollercoaster.

A relevant article in this context: https://www.ckju.net/en/dossier/machiavellianism-what-it-how-recognize-and-cope-machiavellians

She is certainly not psychopathic. 

In summary, what she says doesn't seem authentic. Her words can't be taken at face value. 

She said she was raised in a very loving family lacking nothing that a child would want. 

Why then? What happened? How did she turn out this way? 

Additional reading:

https://vbala99.blogspot.com/2021/10/to-lizard-with-love.html

To Lizard With Love

Today I saw a lizard in my kitchen sink. It had fallen into the sink and was unable to climb out. It kept trying to climb up but couldn't get traction and fell back into the sink.

I felt bad for the fellow. So I put a broom in the sink and hoped the lizard would climb on it and out. Well the lizard did climb on it and was then halfway across the broom. I was egging him on to cross over the sink on to safety beyond. Reflected

If you ask me why I think it was a male, the answer is simple. He was trying to solve his problem and not expecting the world to solve her problem.

Inexplicably, the lizard stood in the middle over the sink, but not across it completely, and then fell back inside the sink. 

I reflected. How many times have I seen others on trouble and when I have tried to help them they, as the lizard, unable to get across their problem but fall back into their "sink". How many times have I fallen into my sink when friends tried to help me.

It's so easy to feel sympathy for a lizard and think how stupid it is that it's not able to use our help. How often to we see ourselves as the same lizard?

Incidentally after a few minutes, he did successfully use the broom and get over to safety.

Moral of the story:

Not everyone with a broom is a witch.

Repaying Debt But Putting Up

I found recently that putting up with someone is another way of repaying them or expressing gratitude.

So if you help me and point that out to me and if I hence feel bad and if I don't have a choice but to put up with you because I need those things you do for me then i am simultaneously paying you back by putting up with you. 

For some people, paying back is by being grateful or by putting up.

Additional reading:

https://vbala99.blogspot.com/2019/12/i-am-grateful-to-you.html

Anna And Airtel

Today I received this message from Airtel, an internet and telephony service provider.

Hi, due to a technical issue at our end, your mobile services may temporarily get affected in Adyar. This is not the experience we want you to have. Rest assured, we are on the job to rectify the issue at the earliest - Team Airtel.

I was surprised. And somehow taken back few years down the memory lane when I used to teach fifth graders. There used to be a girl in the class whose milk teeth had fallen and the new ones hadn't yet come back, though she was in the 5th grade. Of course, the curiosity in me got the better of me and I used to ask the girl (in front of the whole class) when she plans to get her teeth back. One day she responded to me thus:

My father said it might take a looong time for my teeth to grow back and that you (meaning I) should just be patient and not inquire about my teeth frequently.

 

It sounded eerily like the message I got today.

Hi, due to a technical issue at our end, your teeth may not grow temporarily. Rest assured, we are on the job to rectify the issue at the earliest - Team Toothfairy.

Both Airtel and Anna found a way to shut me up by just acknowledging their problem but without a specific date commitment.

We Don't Recognise Jio

The pandemic hit us in March 2020. Since then our professional life has become all virtual and from home. Even for young students, it's all online classes.

This post is about such students. India has about 23 crore students studying in class 1 to 12 (from https://www.mvorganizing.org/how-many-students-are-there-in-india-2020/).

Assuming 40% of them belong to the lower income group (LIG), the number of such students from LIG would be about 9 crore students. 

Imagine if the pandemic had hit the world 5 years back in 2016. India didn't have Jio then. 

Jio disturbed the internet scene in India. It's because of Jio that India has a tariff of about Rs200 (USD 3) for a month of unlimited calls to anywhere in India and about 1.5GB data per day. And it's because of Jio that other ISP's telecoms had to follow suit with similar pricing and in the end most got such a financial battering that they had to exit the business. 

For some prospective on data cost see: (though figures don't seem to be accurate)

https://www.ibtimes.co.in/india-ranks-lowest-global-mobile-data-cost-thats-great-news-heres-how-839072

The figures for India and Pakistan are given below. 

Rs 6 /GB in India

Rs 17/GB in Pakistan (from a friend)

Rs mentioned in this post refer to INR only. 

(https://www.phoneyear.com/pakistan-has-the-second-most-expensive-mobile-data-rates-south-asia/)

As I mentioned earlier, there is an estimated 9 crore young students whose parents would be in the lower income group. These are possibly children of auto drivers, milkmen, housemaids and such.

Imagine online classes for them - meaning getting used to internet, getting a smart phone, using internet data for online classes. All these has been possible for at least some fraction of those 9 crore students

Because of Jio, a good percentage (I don't know exactly how much) has been able to continue their studies online. Of course a lot depended on whether their family had or lost their source of income. But if the family could afford their school fees and books, Jio made attending online courses very possible.

Had the pandemic hit us 5 years earlier where would those students have been?

Take Pakistan in comparison where internet costs are comparatively higher. Imagine what their LIG students are going through. Those students are likely much worse off than their Indian counterparts.

Thanks, Jio. 

Disclaimer:

The author has nothing to do with Reliance and they were not paid anything by the company.

Additional reading:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/10/02/coronavirus-india-school-closures/

Truth Or Emotions

https://lifestyle.livemint.com/health/fitness/why-women-are-increasingly-opting-for-ladies-only-gyms-111628240763510.html: Quote by the author: "For me, Viji's Slim Centre helped start something that continues to this day: understanding that regular exercise is less about what your body looks like and more about how it makes you feel."

This focus on emotions, if and when it happens overriding truth, is the recipe for hallucination.

I am often around a person who hallucinates and hence this subject is particularly of interest to me.

Hallucination, untruth, emotions are all part of a spectrum. When Donald Trump says he won the elections, it's a wish, a desire and not a fact. Hallucination is a small distance away from where he stands. If he were genuinely hallucinating he wouldn't spend efforts to make his desire come true because he would be thinking his desire has come true. 

When I see a hallucinating person accuse another person it's stunning. Because of 2 things: the accuser, in normal circumstances would never have said such a thing. And you know the person accused did no such thing that they are accused of because I was right there.

"We see things not as they are but as how we are" is an example of how emotions, or hallucinations in an extreme case, distort what we see.

When we hear that eye witness accounts are very unreliable we understand why that might be so.

Emotions provide an alternate reality. And perhaps this kind of reality is essential to survival. And hence emotional people live longer (women outlive men by about 5 years).

One data that I am seeking is whether emotional men live longer than unemotional men.

And whether the emotional part of the brain is responsible for hallucination.

Do Unto Others

I was listening to Vividh Bharati today. The theme today was about lying (falsehood). The RJ said we should not lie to others if we can't tolerate being lied to.

That's what got me thinking. What kind of person follows this "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".

Some of us believe in rules. They may follow it. Some of us believe in survival (at any cost), such as Ambani or Trump. Do you expect them to follow this rule? 

It's strange that some of us follow rules while others follow their heart. The interplay between the two sets is interesting. If you observe their actions live and remember that one follows rules while other follows their heart - while observing their actions - it's quite an experience.

Puzzles - Lock

A friend sent me this. 

Truth, Nothing But The Truth

Some people think of truth as binary. Either what a person x said did happen or didn't happen. Meaning of the event were recorded, the event would either prove x right. Or not.

But then there is another interpretation of truth. What I call the feminine or emotional interpretation.

If my emotions tell me something and if I say it aloud then I have been truthful from my point of view of EVEN IF A RECORDING OF THE EVENT MAY CONTRADICT WHAT I SAID.

That is amazing. An emotional person describes truth as something being in sync with their emotions. 

And what emotions tell us may not be corroborated by a recording. 

We are aware of a game children play. A child whispers to something to another child, who in turn whispers what he heard from the first child to another child and so on. Finally, what we hear from the last child is quite different from what the first child said. Why is this so? Is it not the same reason? That the emotions in children tamper with the truth. And the child interprets what he heard based on what his emotions tell him. 

Both kind of truths, the ones that are verifiable and those that aren't go under the same umbrella of "truth". 

Just like the word love means two entirely different things.

(https://vbala99.blogspot.com/2017/02/understanding-love.html)

So when someone promises to tell the truth and they genuinely believe they are telling the truth, what they say may not be true - to the extent that their emotions have played with the reality.

The more emotional one is, the more adulterated the truth is, more grey their statements are.

If you ask a person "did you do it?":

• A less emotional person will reply Yes or No.
• A more emotional person will start with an explanation leading ultimately to whether they did it or not. The explanation is a reflection of their emotional state.

Pop Quiz:

Is Donald Trump largely emotional or not?

Rich, no?

Can I Call You Tomorrow At 4PM

I thought such a request, as in the subject line, meant that the person has committed to call at 4. 

It turns out that the "can I call you?" for many people (P type, as in MBTI) is in fact about getting a right to call and not an obligation to call.

I always assumed that the question created an obligation.

It took me so many years to realise it's just a right.

A related anecdote:

A friend of mine wanted her brother to come to her place to get something done. She kept reminding him and then he asked her whether she would be home at 3PM. She confirmed. She was waiting from 2:45PM till 4PM for her brother. But he didn't turn up. When she called her brother and asked him what happened, he explained that HE had asked her whether SHE will be home at 3PM. He pointed out that he never told her he will come to her house at 3PM.

Another case of a right (to come) but no obligation (to come). My friend had interpreted her brother's question incorrectly.

So it makes sense to confirm whether someone is assuming an obligation or just a right when they say (or ask) something.

Additional reading 

https://vbala99.blogspot.com/2021/07/proposing-to-multiple-women.html

Selling And Repurchasing

Effect of selling in a falling market and buying at a lower price:

Let's assume we have 500 units of an equity mutual fund (MF) scheme at a current NAV of Rs100 per unit that were purchased at an NAV of Rs70. Total purchase cost = Rs70*500 = Rs35,000

Now let's assume the market is falling and I am very tense. The NAV has fallen to Rs 90. I decide to sell all the units. Assume my holding is for less than a year, so short term capital gains (STCG) will be levied (@ 15%).

Exit load will be 1%. 

What I get is 

500 units* 90*99% = Rs44,550. 

My gains will be (44550-35000)

= Rs 9550

My STCG will be 9550*15%= Rs1433

Nett of taxes and exit load what I have is 44550-1433 = Rs 43117

Now let's assume the NAV falls to Rs 80 and I invest all my proceeds into the same scheme at that NAV.

I get 43117 / 80 = 539 units.

Note that earlier I had 500 units.

Now let's assume that the NAV rises later to Rs115 and I again sell all the units at this NAV.

My redemption will now give me 539*115*0.99 = Rs 61365

My short term gains are now 

61365 - 43117 = Rs 18248

My tax will be 15% * 18248 = Rs 2737

What I will have nett of tax is 

61365 - 2737 = Rs 58628

If on the other hand I had never redeemed inbetween and I had held on the 500 units of the equity scheme and sold it at NAV of Rs 115 (and assume this happened after a year so it's long term capital gains).

My proceeds will be 500*115 = 

Rs 57500. Note that there is no exit load because I sold after a year.

My gains = 57500 - 50000 = Rs7500

My tax will be max 10%= Rs 750

If my total long term capital gain across all instruments is less than Rs 1lac, I don't pay any tax. Else I pay 10% of the gains exceeding 1Lac.

So my tax in this case will be between zero and Rs750. 

My nett will be between Rs 56750 and Rs 57500. And this is still less than Rs 58628 which I would have had if I had sold the scheme and repurchased and incurred TWO exit loads and TWO STCG @15%.

It may make sense to sell and repurchase at a much lower NAV. Note a lot depends on the difference between the NAV that I first redeemed and the NAV I repurchased at. If this spread was much less than Rs 10 (=90-80), this tactic wouldn't make sense.

What we have with this tactic is just a peace of mind that we have got out of a falling market. And if in fact we re-enter the market at a sufficiently lower NAV we stand to make a little extra money in the bargain. This is counter to the strategy of holding on for the long term.

Note also that the two STCG will result in tax cash outflow earlier. 

Now let's make it a little more abstract.

Assuming that the first redemption was at NAV of x (=90)

And let's repeat the same calculations.

Proceeds from 1st sale

495x - (495x-35000)*.15

=420.75x+5250

New number of units

(420.75x+5250)/80

2nd redemption value

(420.75x+5250)/80*.99*115

=(420.75+5250)*1.423

=598.78x+7471

2nd STCG

(598.78x+7471)-(420.75x+5250)

=178.03x+2221

2nd STCG tax

=(178.03x+2221)*.15

=26.7x+333

Nett after 2nd redemption

=(598.78x+7471)-(26.7x+333)

= 572x+7138

Nett after LT redemption

= 500*115=57500

At what NAV are the two nett equal?

572x+7138=57500

X=88

So long as x> 88, double redemption gives more.

The question that remains is how is this value of x dependent on the other three NAV (70, 80 and 115).

Let's assume a, b, c are the three NAV, respectively.

Proceeds from 1st sale

495x - (495x-500*a)*.15

=420.75x+5250

=420.75x+75a

New number of units

(420.75x+5250)/b

=420.75x/b+75a/b

2nd redemption value before tax

(420.75x+5250)/80*.99*115

=(420.75+5250)*1.423

=598.78x+7471

=(420.75x/b+75a/b)*0.99*c

=416.5cx/b+74.25ac/b

2nd STCG

(598.78x+7471)-(420.75x+5250)

=178.03x+2221

=(416.5cx/b+74.25ac/b) -

(420.75x+75a)

=(416.5c/b-420.75)x+(74.25c/b-75)a

2nd STCG tax

=(178.03x+2221)*.15

=26.7x+333

=((416.5c/b-420.75)x+(74.25c/b-75)a)*.15

=(62.5c/b-63)x+(11.14c/b-11.25)a

Nett after 2nd redemption

=(598.78x+7471)-(26.7x+333)

= 572x+7138

416.5cx/b+74.25ac/b - ((62.5c/b-63)x+(11.14c/b-11.25)a)

=(354c/b+63)x+(63.11c/b+11.25)a

Nett after LT redemption

= 500*c=57500

At what NAV are the two nett equal?

572x+7138=57500

X=88

So long as x> 88, double redemption gives more.

(354c/b+63)x+(63.11c/b+11.25)a > 500c

X> (500c - (63.11c/b+11.25)a) / (354c/b+63)

(57500-7138) /571.9

=50362/571.9

=88

In the above equation, x is higher (desirable) as c/b becomes lower and as a is lower.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oIC6BHc1h7CJZ4qmKIPJ0uvBr2DyFe85ZXQMg257skk/edit?usp=drivesdk

Proposing To Multiple Women

It's often held that males tend to stray more often than women. That they tend to propose love when in fact they were already in committed relationships. 

I would assert that here is more than a modicum of truth in this, without going into the reasons. The symptom is verifiable, notwithstanding the reason for such behaviour.

Now comes the interesting part. Some men and women, the P's (as in MBTI) tend to be less committed to their words. When they have committed to meeting you or doing a specific activity by a certain date they go ahead and commit their time to another activity that would definitely conflict with their earlier commitment made to you. 

The J type (as in MBTI) would think through and then only commit, they would avoid such conflicts. The P's have no such issues, they are like men proposing. 

The final decision of which activity to do (or which girl to go with) depends largely on exigencies (whose father holds a shotgun to the man's head) or where their heart is. 

Both the tendencies, allocating the heart or the time, have similar engines running. Of not blocking the heart or the time slot as anyone meticulously using a calendar would do. In both cases, the perpetrators do not see any issue. It's the J types (in the latter issue) or women (in the former) that are appalled.

Dainik And Divya And IT Raids

https://m.thewire.in/article/health/not-covid-stunned-by-data-gujarat-blames-death-certificate-spurt-on-duplicate-registrations

Above is an article that tried to explain how Gujrat government had understated the Covid deaths. The article refers to a study by the Gujarati daily Divya Bhaskar, which you can see referred to in the screenshot below from the article above. 

Today, I read this article below:

Income Tax department raids media group Dainik Bhaskar's offices at multiple locations

I found that Divya Bhaskar, which alleged that Gujrat undercounted Covid deaths, and Dainik Bhaskar, whose offices were raided by Income Tax, belong to the same group.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divya_Bhaskar

Is it a case of retribution? Or just coincidence? 

After I published this post, I read the articles below. Does it seem like The Hindu has the same suspicion?

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/it-raids-on-dainik-bhaskar-group/article35458142.ece

Even Indian Express seems to think the same: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/dainik-bhaskar-tax-raids-7416460/

Additional reading 

• https://vbala99.blogspot.com/2021/04/covid-deaths-in-india.html
• Scroll.in: The lights begin to wink out in India’s democracy.
• India Today: Dainik Bhaskar Group evaded taxes on Rs 700 crore of income over 6 years: IT Department.
  

Lizard And Me

Today a garden lizard happened to enter the back side of my house. It stood on its legs a few inches from the ground with a tail about 4 inches long, longer than it's body. 

Its posture looked like that of a miniature dinosaur. Inside my house it tried to find it's way about but was locked in the wash area with buckets and brooms and no way out except through an iron gate through which it had come in. I was standing at the gate encouraging it to get out, but the lizard was wary. I poured a mug of water over it and it tried to avoid getting wet and ran towards the gate but didn't quite reach the gate since I was standing there.

I poured a few more mugs over the lizard and stood out of it's way and finally the lizard escaped outside. Both of us heaved sighs of relief. 

We like our natural habitats and our regular residents. Strange ones are no no.

Trump's Character - My Take

Barring few people most have a drive to succeed or what I call "survive" the way animals do. Animals have a no holds barred (no rules, anything goes) survival mechanism. Actually animals do follow rules. But for the sake of putting my thoughts together i call the "no holds barred" behaviour "survival Instinct".

Incidentally humans do have conscience and morality though the degree varies from person to person. You have a king Harishchandra and you have a Trump.

Trump is a person who has little conscience, his behavior is largely defined by survival Instinct. Born to a wealthy father he learnt that survival at any cost was the way in life. He has lived that way in every aspect of his life. Including finally claiming that he won the election by a huge margin. It's difficult to think of any depravity that he won't indulge in.

It's this behavior of his that alternately fascinates me and disgusts me.

Here is an article that shows his character. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-organization-investigation-property-values-vance-james/2021/11/19/78c15850-4706-11ec-95dc-5f2a96e00fa3_story.html

Here is another article around Jun 17 or 18, 2022. Hence, Mike Pence: Quote from it: "Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify,” Trump tweeted. “USA demands the truth!” 

Here is the interesting thing about Trump. He believed firmly that he won the election. And hence any data that indicated otherwise was fraudulent or inaccurate. This is a core trait of Trump. What he felt was the truth. 

From https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0408ca2e-19a7-11ed-b4a0-f11f082a3a3c?shareToken=b0d09ffe1f82cbd86d7542971bec975d

From the above article. This is one major difference between US and UK. The question of intention. Trump gets away with every crime because American system requires that it be proved beyond reasonable doubt that he had the intention. A second issue with the American way is their predilection in thinking that if something were done in broad daylight there cannot be a nefarious intention. Trump does everything visibly and gets away

I get a thought. We often say that the enemy of our enemy is our friend. This paradigm is what makes him win. People hate something and Trump also claims to hate those things. And hence people see him as the enemy of an enemy and stand by him  

Shown below is Trump's response to questions about his involvement in Jan 6th events. 

And my comments about this: 

Of course the wolf's rendition of the encounter with red riding hood was a cartoon. And meant as a joke

Trump's recollection of Jan 6th and blaming tech companies for the issue.. is no different from the wolf's recollection. Except that in the case of Trump, he (his spokesman) is very serious.

Idiotic things said in jest are funny. When they are said in seriousness it's ugly.

Trump is a narcissist. He can comfortably arrogate to himself non existent qualities. He can lie through his teeth and expect people to accept it even if they didn't think it was true. He creates an alternative version of reality that he believes in. 

For example, His assets would be inflated if he needed money (for example while borrowing from a bank) and shown to be substantially low if he had to pay money (while filing his taxes).

There was no such thing as truth in his mind. His claims are usually preposterous.

Additional reading:

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sanctions-hearing-2020-lawsuit/2021/07/16/90392266-e661-11eb-b722-89ea0dde7771_story.html : Very interesting. How strong belief is taken as a substitute for factual data
• https://vbala99.blogspot.com/2020/11/trumps-character.html
  
• Report Cites New Details of Trump Pressure on Justice Dept. Over Election
  

Puzzles And Maths - Sum

 A friend sent me this

Maths And Puzzles - Password

 A friend sent me this.

👍Solve This:

A man locked his personal computer with a password and wrote some words in the hint box.

One day his wife tries to login in his absence using the hints which contained the following:

4 grapes 🍇🍇🍇🍇

1 apple 🍎

7 bananas 🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌

7 mangoes 🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋

2 pineapples 🍍🍍

1 orange 🍊

8 pomegranates 🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑

What is the password ?

Edelweiss And Emotional Intelligence

A friend of mine told me today that I was her only friend whom she could laugh with, with no pretensions. 

I have been told by many friends that they could just be themselves with me. (Of course I have also been told by one friend that talking to me was like talking to a piece of furniture! And hence she could share anything with me while she would be cagey about sharing stuff with others.) 

That brings the question: what's so special or unique in me that people can be themselves with me? Do I not judge people? Of course I do, all the time and my friends are quite aware of my tendency to judge. So why me? Why no pretensions? 

I had to scratch my hair, what little there is of it. 

Conversation is like a dance.

If you can think of a dance: a ballroom dance (like the Edelweiss in Sound of Music) and compare it to a brisk walk. You will see the difference. Most of us would be very wary of dancing in a ballroom than a walk

The former requires elegance, you have to dance nicely. While walking, on the other hand, there are no strict rules to be followed. You can be yourself. 

I am a person with little emotional intelligence unlike others. Talking to me is like taking a brisk walk. Talking to others is like dancing in a ballroom.

An environment of inelegance lets you relax. You don't have to dress up, you don't have to follow protocols. Though, it's quite likely that elegant people may not prefer inelegance all the time. 

That perhaps explains why many people tell me that they can be themselves with me.

Boohoo, I will only be a walk and never a ballroom. Bye bye, Edelweiss.

But then I am easier to talk to and nice, as a change. Emotional unintelligence does have its use!