News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Saturday December 20th 2025
Debunking the Five Biggest Homebuying Myths
By NICOLE ROTHSTEIN , a contributing writer for Sunrise Banks.
As homebuying season begins, there are many misconceptions about purchasing a home that can deter potential buyers. To help clarify the process, we asked our mortgage experts at Sunrise Banks to debunk five common homebuying myths.
Myth #1: You Always Need a 20% Down Payment
A common belief is that buyers must put 20% down to secure a mortgage. However, multiple down payment assistance programs make homeownership accessible with much less upfront cash. First-time buyers may qualify for conventional loans with as little as 3% down, FHA loans with 3.5%, and USDA or VA loans that require no down payment. While a larger down payment can eliminate private mortgage insurance (PMI), it is not a requirement for securing a loan.
Myth #2: Mortgage Rates Are Directly Tied to the Federal Interest Rate
Many assume mortgage rates fluctuate directly with federal interest rates, but this is not entirely accurate. While federal rate changes impact short-term lending like credit cards and car loans, mortgage rates depend on multiple factors, including inflation, the 10-Year Treasury Note, and overall economic conditions. Buyers who can afford a home should not necessarily delay their purchase based solely on interest rate trends.… Read the rest “Debunking the Five Biggest Homebuying Myths”
Anora Wins Five Oscars: Thumbs Down On Three
By HOWARD MCQUITTER II
The 97th Oscars is –uh– some met my expectations by winning the golden statues. I vote every year. I went 15 right, 7 wrong, not my best year, but not bad when I had to guess on categories such as best Live Action Shorts, Best Cinematography, and Best Song Score.
When I vote for the winner of each category, I vote who will win. It’s not uncommon for me to sweat on getting the right answers often up to the day of the Oscars. Sometimes when I get the right answers I jump for joy.
The movie Anora won Best Picture. Best Actress went to Anora’s Mikey Madison. Best Director went to Sean Baker for Anora. I didn’t get to see Anora until two days after the Oscars. After viewing Anora, I said to myself… “Anora the best picture and Mikey Madison the best actress for the 97th Oscars? Nah.” What a slap in the face to Demi Moore for The Substance or Fernanda Torres for I’m Still Here who were both much more deserving for Best Actress.
Back to Anora as Best Picture; it doesn’t hold a candle to The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Nickel Boys, Dune: Part Two, The Substance, I’m Still Here, and even Wicked.… Read the rest “Anora Wins Five Oscars: Thumbs Down On Three”
Keep citizen journalism alive!
On the Evolution of Lampreys*
from the Series Raise Your Voice…
By PETER MOLENAAR
When pondering the glory of biological evolution, one must at least acknowledge the appearance of intelligent design, that is, the intervention of an unseen “higher power”. Those who believe that consciousness is a product of the evolution of matter are not exempt from this consideration, even as a theologian must pose the question: whence the parasitic lamprey?
SCIENTISTS AND THEOLOGIANS UNITE!
It was not so terribly long ago; that the original planktonic mix gave birth to some zillion critters with the advantage of bilateral symmetry. Eventually, this massive genomic potentiality would render us the echinoderms with their exoskeletons and radial symmetry (think starfish, sea urchins, etc.). Fun fact: the larval stage of all echinoderms retains the original bilateral symmetry.
Perhaps every school child is familiar with the fossilized remains of the crinoid, species of which exist to this day. Crinoids, a type of echinoderm, are the source of the little calcareous circles found within layer upon layer of our limestone cliffs. The living crinoid was, in part, an assemblage of these disks which formed a tube topped with feathery appendages which served both respiration and the filter feeding mode. Hopefully, an aspiring biologist from this Neighborhood will pursue the hypothesis that such appendages were the precursor to the gills deployed by our fish.… Read the rest “On the Evolution of Lampreys*”