By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
NOV. 21, 2025 | This and that day: Lots of Gwinnettians will be watching Georgia Public Broadcasting Friday night when the North Gwinnett Bulldogs host Lowndes County Vikings in the high school playoffs.
Lowndes’ record is 9-1. Their only loss was to hometown Valdosta, 23-14.
North Gwinnett is 10-1 with their only loss to Douglas County 21-7 in the first game of the season.
More on football: While the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech football teams have the same nine victories and one loss record, we see a world of difference between them. Georgia looked mighty strong against Texas last week. Georgia Tech just slipped past Boston College by two points on a field goal toward the end of the game. And Boston College had won only one game this year, yet ripped the Georgia Tech defense all night. Georgia Tech’s previous game against North Carolina State also showed the weakness of its defensive team.
So Tech seems heading south, while Georgia is looking better each game. Georgia Tech plays Pittsburgh this week. Will Tech’s defense show up? Georgia is against the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. To that you can only say “Ho-hum.”
Heard on the street: So Donald Trump wants to run for a third term? In fairness, wouldn’t that allow Barack Obama to run again, too? Think about it. That would be some race, but do we really want former presidents running for a third term?
Disturbing for our future: We read the other day that in the last 10 years, the United States constructed 38 large commercial shipping vessels. But China, in the same time, built 7,500 similar ships! And we think China will someday surpass us? They already have, in so many ways!
Makes no sense: Now we are hearing of 50-year real estate mortgages so buyers can reduce the monthly payment amount. We calculated what the long term cost would be to buy a $400,000 home at six percent interest (near today’s rate) for 15, 30 and 50 years.
Look at this table:
For a $400,000 house at six percent interest, the principal and interest portion of the monthly payment and the total cost to buyers will vary significantly by the loan term. (Presumes a 20 percent down, so mortgage of $320,000),
All people cannot finance for 15 years, but it sure saves money. Also note the payment difference for 30 and 50 years is only $292 a month, but the 50-year mortgage costs you $400,018 more over the term of the loan.
Takeaway: a 50-year loan isn’t just bad, it’s awful!
Physical therapy advice: When you are walking, take longer strides to help you keep in balance. Short steps cause an unnatural distance between your feet, since they are closer together. That makes it easier to fall, and you don’t want that at all.
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