News from the Network, Vol. 1, No. 7

Due to the accelerating financial crisis, our focus has become concentrated on the problems with the money and credit system. That gives us fewer, but much more critical items to report.

• Former Congressman Walter Fauntroy has co-authored an op-ed piece for the Washington Post with Norman Kurland and Dr. Norman Bailey, former chief economic advisor to the National Security Council under President Reagan. The editorial outlines the HEC and its projected effects, among which are a solution to the mortgage crisis and the initiation of a return to an asset-backed currency. If it appears, the article will appear in the Sunday edition. If not, we will run it on this blog on Monday.

• Michael D. Greaney, Director of Research for the Center for Economic and Social Justice, has just published his latest book, In Defense of Human Dignity: Essays on the Just Third Way, A Natural Law Perspective, ISBN 978-0944997024, Economic Justice Media, $20.00. Currently available on Amazon, it should be available on Barnes and Noble within the next few days. The book is a compilation of previously-published articles from Social Justice Review, the official journal of the Central Bureau, Catholic Central Union of America. Advance publication sales have been encouraging. Information about bulk orders, on which there is a 20% discount can be obtained from CESJ. In Defense of Human Dignity is the first in a planned series of books on the Just Third Way from different faith and philosophical perspectives.

• Also in the publishing arena, Universal Values Media (a Justice-Based Management Certified company) has just released a new edition of Arthur Christopher Benson's moving tribute to his brother, the noted author Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914). Hugh: Memoirs of a Brother, ISBN 978-1602100008, was first published in 1916. This edition features a specially-written foreword and an expanded index — as well as a cover so well designed that it is alone worth the price of the book, $18.00 from Amazon or $16.20 ("Member Price") from Barnes and Noble. Inquiries about bulk orders (again, a 20% discount) should be made to Once-and-Future Books. Either of these books might make good fund raisers for your civic group, school, or church.

• Genea Callahan, impressed with the forthright approach of Dr. James MacMillan, Scotland's premier composer, on social issues, has taken charge of an outreach effort to make contact with him and see if he would be interested in the work of CESJ.

• Jether Jacomini, Jr., our Brazil Correspondent, has opened up a "Facebook" Profile. Jether has become extremely active in promoting binary economics as it fits into the Just Third Way, and has made a number of valuable comments on this blog. He has also signed up for the Just Third Way channel on YouTube.

• We sent a short note to the "Group of Thirty," encouraging them to investigate Kelsonian mechanisms to correct the current financial meltdown in a manner consistent with the Just Third Way. According to their web site, the Group of Thirty "is a private, nonprofit, international body composed of very senior representatives of the private and public sectors and academia [including former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker]. It aims to deepen understanding of international economic and financial issues, to explore the international repercussions of decisions taken in the public and private sectors, and to examine the choices available to market practitioners and policymakers." It's located in Washington, DC, barely a phone call away.

• David Beatty has raised the possibility of doing a "syntegration" on money and credit. A syntegration is a form of non-hierarchical problem solving that can be used in a small team of 10 to 42 people. It is a business consultation product that is licensed out to consulting firms as a basis model for solving problems in a team environment.

• As of this morning, our readership covers 28 countries, including 45 states and provinces in the United States and Canada.

As usual, there are a great many other news items that we haven't heard about because you haven't submitted them. If you're tired of reading about what we're doing, let's hear from you. If you have a SHORT item about how you are advancing the Just Third Way, send us a note about it at mgreaney [at] cesj [dot] org.

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