Featured User: Victor
“I won’t send a picture of myself since Answers is meant to be confidential but here is a picture of my great-grandfather taken in about 1908 because people say I look more like him every passing year. He was then about the same age I am now.”
Every so often we come across an Answers user so wonderful we have to share them with you all as a Featured User. Given this, meet Victor: author and expert contributor with nearly 70% Best Answer percentage who’s been with us since spring ‘06. Why did he join? He saw someone write that recession and inflation were the same thing. And when someone else answered that the French Revolution came before American Independence, well, he had to step in. Answers has been the better for it ever since.
Some great Answers by Victor:
- How did Napoleon’s downfall lead to his death?
- How long is it going to take for the economy too completely fail?
- What does the expression ‘economies of scale’ pertain to?
- Was the enlightenment period a positive or negative influence on Europe?
- In Physics why does equation E = MC2 use the square function?
Get more Best Answers from Victor…
Meet Victor…
Yahoo! Answers Team: What do you enjoy about answering?
Victor: “Two parts to it. First, I like to think that my answers are interesting and may be helpful for someone who needs to know. Secondly, it’s a kind of competition with myself: how much do I know about this subject that I can write down? I’m willingly ignorant about some things and wouldn’t ever answer on those, but some subjects are very close to my head and heart, and I stick to those.”
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Where are you based?
“I spend about half the year in South London and the rest at Igatpuri, Maharashtra, India because my wife is Indian and there is a big family there. Although I’ve worked in education and the Civil Service, I’m self employed now, so I can find work in both places and India is nicer than UK between November and April. At this moment, therefore, I’m at Igatpuri which is 19 deg N of the Equator and about 73 deg E of London.”
You seem to answer in some quite diverse categories, such as history, economics and mathematics – can you explain a little about your interest in these areas?
“I went to university in the early 1960s and studied mathematics and economics, and then did a Masters 15 years later in management sciences [maths in business and engineering]. I’ve written books on these subjects. However, my real intellectual love is history and I’ve studied that formally and informally since childhood – but you can’t make a living from it! I did a minor in my BA in history, especially the development of government and democracy in Europe and N America. As you see, I’ve a big interest in a range of subjects and special knowledge is some of them.”
Does work, education or your own personal experiences inform your choice answering?
“Mostly, I answer from personal knowledge or from academic research interests. If a question is about business, management or government then I can answer from experience, and the same goes for maths and economic theory. History involves judgement as well as knowledge and I try to bring both into my answers. For a time, some weeks ago, I was a Top Contributor in History but then that status was removed. I don’t know why or if the removal indicates something I’ve done wrong.”
Can you tell me more about where you live (some of the year) in India?
“Igatpuri, to be honest, has been a rail station and truck stop until this past 5 years. Now it’s a boom town because of the dual carriageway highway from Mumbai to Nashik, and the opening of the big Mahindra diesel engine plant. The town is a pilgrimage centre because of the Vipissanar meditation centre and ashram, and the old temple of Ghatendevi (goddess of the mountain). Attached are two images with names to indicate which is which. The elephant statues at Ghatendevi are carved out of wood and covered in stucco, which is whitened each year.”
“The town is located at about 1300 metres (4400 ft) above sea level and the mountains behind the town rise to about 1900 metres (6000 ft). Igatpuri is in the Nashik District of Maharashtra, which is the centre of the Indian wine-making industry and produces some very fine vintages, similar in style to California and some Australian types. See, for example www.tigerhillvineyards.com.”
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Wow ! This is the kind of person we need on Yahoo Answers, not the kind that asks “am i pregnant ?” Thank you Victor, you really are a wonderful man.
But these aren’t ‘great answers’, they are cribbs from Wikkipedia!
Skeen Ali!
What a wonderful, knowledgeable, intelligent man to have on the site. Long may he continue!
Feel free to lend some of your wisdom in the Books and Authors section
hi
It’s lovely when you have a person like yourself on yahoo, a gentleman and a scholar.
This guy’s awesome!!! A real inspiration for teenagers like me to become successful and knowledgable.
70% huh? somebody’s been voting for theit own answers
you old rogue
lol
Aww he’s so cool. I wish I was as knowledgable/good as answering as him!
I am called I am Bella; and I live in S&C XD
This shows the gift of a priveliged education can have benifits. Unfortunately, many of us are denyd the education we deserve. After the last war we all had to work to survive and were left on the side of the road. I love history as well ( from the ordinary people point of view rather that lord and lady this – that – and – the – other) I wish more people like this man could be acknowledged by society.
Congratulations Victor and thank you for sharing your knowledge, intelligence, time and enthusiasm with us.
Andrea
Congrats! I am sure the 69% of best answers is sure to mean that you are NOT a social outcast in “real life”.
I think I know this man. I think he taught me in the 1980s. He was a great teacher and a successful professional from British Northern working class background. I’m sure it’s him and his answers are typical of his general knowledge and his interests. I wish there were more on Answers – good answers, not angry with life, trying to be interesting, passing on knowledge.
It is nice to see you celebrating us, the users, for a change, instead of pontificating about unevenly applied guidelines and procedures for non-existent appeals. This is what I call an interesting post. Victor, don’t worry, the removal of your History TC badge has nothing to do with the quality of your answers. Who has that badge is determined by a cold, hard algorithm – there is nobody asking, “does he still cut the mustard?” Hats off.
Victor, your picture looks like my grandfather. Have you any family links with great engineers?? Parsons, or Whitworth?
[...] Previous contributors in this category include Spellbound, Tunisian Belle, Calimecita and Victor. This time the spotlight turns to Willeke, an expert in travel and… well, perhaps we’ll let her [...]