Author Archives: coldspur

Apologies! Along with some early visitors to the site, I have realized that some browsers do not display documents in the same way as they appeared in the development environment, and that the process by which some documents were imported from other sources (and automatically transformed) has affected pagination, and thus made viewing difficult. I shall look into these problems. (November 5, 2008)

This is not going to be a blog, but did McCain’s chances disappear when the Pentecostalist Poppet opened her mouth to the American people? (November 5, 2008)

I draw the attention of residents/homeowners in the coastal areas of North Carolina to my report on the infamous Beach Plan, the insurance plan offered by the NCIUA, a monopolistic body of insurance companies administered by the North Carolina Department of Insurance to provide conventional homeowners’ insurance bundled with Wind and Hail coverage. Please find my report under ‘Articles, Reports’, or via this link ‘Windstorm’.  In yesterday’s election, the position of Insurance Commissioner was won by the Democrat Wayne Goodwin, who was the deputy to the previous incumbent, Jim Long, and who will very probably continue the policies of his predecessor.  Bonner Stiller, my local (Brunswick County) State Representative, did indicate to me that he would take up the issue of ‘bundled’ insurance services in the new legislature. Interested readers should apply pressure to both these gentlemen (or their own Representatives) to restore a competitive market for homeowners’ insurance, and thus reduce prices for those whose risks are lower.  (November 5, 2008)

I have been commissioned to write, for a renowned biographical dictionary, an entry for Gordon Kaufmann, the famous Anglo-American architect, designer of the Hoover Dam and the Los Angeles Times building, among many famous edifices. Kaufmann, who was born in Forest Hill, London in 1888, and died in Los Angeles in 1949, was a somewhat enigmatic figure, and I am very keen to hear from any of his descendants, and from anybody who knows more about Kaufmann’s life. He was married twice: to Eva McFarland in Canada, and to Elsie Bryant. He and Eva had a son (Kenneth McFarland) and a daughter (Cecil). Kenneth died in Ventura, CA in 1977, while Eva died in 1974 in Los Angeles, as Mrs. Thomas E. Dawson. I should very much like to hear from anyone who knows whether they had any offspring, or even from their descendants themselves. Gordon Kaufmann had a younger brother, Harold, who changed his name to ‘Kay’ during the First World War, and may have lived in Sussex (England) thereafter. Likewise, I should be very interested in information about his life, as well as their father’s. The father, Gustav, was given as living in Littlestone, Kent, on Gordon’s immigration records to the USA. Please contact me at antonypercy@aol.com with any information. (October 20, 2008)