by Alan Zibel

WASHINGTON (AP)—The number of people who signed contracts to buy homes rose in August for the second straight month but remained far below last year’s pace. The weak economy and fears that prices will fall are keeping many consumers away from the housing market.

The National Association of Realtors said Monday that its seasonally adjusted index of sales agreements for previously occupied homes rose 4.3 percent to a reading of 82.3. That’s still more than 20 percent below the pace in the same month a year earlier.

Well over 10 years ago while vacationing in Florida, I was given an offer that I could not refuse. “Come to this free two-hour seminar and you’ll get two free tickets to Disney World and two free tickets to Universal Studios.” Back then tickets to both Disney World and Universal Studios were approximately $60 per ticket. I’m a sucker for free stuff. I was one of the first people in line at the seminar. It turned out that this was no seminar. It was a high-pressure sales environment for timeshares. At the time, I had no earthly idea what a timeshare was. All I knew was that the sales representative wanted me to pay $15,000 for the right to have access to a condo for one week out of the year, every year. Even back then with absolutely no knowledge of timeshares, I thought this was one of the silliest concepts ever conceived. Today, I know it is.

(NNPA)—“We must demonstrate our capacity to cooperate among ourselves, before demanding cooperation where the resources of others are at stake. Business is the ultimate test of our ability to cooperate. Somehow we must learn this fundamental lesson. It will be costly; there will be some loss in the process, but we must keep it up until we have developed within the race a group of people of definite capacity and unquestioned integrity, who can lead the way to larger achievements for the benefit of the whole race.” -- R.R. Moton, president, National Negro Business League, 1928

It seems so difficult for Moton’s message to sink in and be implemented by many of our business owners. You would think that during the last 82 years since he spoke those words Black folks, collectively, would have built hundreds of business associations, thereby commanding a much higher percentage of business revenues than we do today.

Technology continues to march on at warp speed—but we, as consumers, apparently aren’t always so willing, ready and able to go along for the ride; no matter how bigger, better, faster or more awe-inspiring the newest toy may be. Take 3DTV. 3DTV—really?

I am still trying to identify all of my HDTV channels and trying to figure out the technology that must exist to enable them to pop up automatically whenever I turn on the TV instead of having to hunt for them. And, now I have to prep myself for 3DTV? I’m a little hesitant.