US President Barack Obama has called for new ideas on the world’s seeming intractable problems. Well here’s one that could undermine the Taliban in Afghanistan without sending in more troops. The US and the EU should buy up all the poppies with government money.
Buying the Afghan poppy crop was first suggested by the International Council on Security and Development. The idea would solve two problems in one blow. First, it would prevent the often-unwilling opium farmers from being driven into the arms of the Taliban for protection and as willing buyers and traffickers. Second, the crop could help the world, especially the poorer parts in Asia and Africa, with their chronic shortage of medical opiates.
A biotech firm in Washington recently announced an overwhelmingly positive response to compounds from a rain forest botanical for treating Alzheimer’s Disease, along with its intention to safeguard the very forests that provide such a remarkable pharmacopeia. 
The current economic crisis is offering many people the “opportunity” to change jobs and career fields. The American Association of Community Colleges has joined with organizations across the country to provide new directions in employment specifically for people over 50. 
