I would like to bring up a very interesting idea that may or may not have been asked or pondered. Has the government of Yemen ever discussed the idea of a railway system? It is a proven fact that a railway system opens up a nation in many areas. Areas such as tourism, medical aid to rural areas, easier access for the citizens to get from one part of the country to another safely, and many more. America's west wouldn't have been so easily "won" without the advance of the locomotive. India was famed for its railway system. Now even Europe has used the latest advances in railway travel technology to bridge the gap between nations with fast and efficient travel. A railway in Yemen could make travel between major economic centers like Sanaa, Taiz, Ibb, Aden, Hodeidah, and other cities, easier and safer. This railway system would also benefit many people. Badly needed medical supplies could get to where they are needed faster, and grains and other foods could be better distributed as well! 

Far away areas could be reached without chance of spoilage or theft, and maybe companies could find new areas to set up factories to produce their product. This expansion of commercial infrastructure would help poorer regions by providing employment opportunities. The trains would help transfer products from the production centers to ports or cities faster. In other words- there is basically no bad thing that could come out of this idea. Except for maybe one- and it is a dreaded but real threat. It is well known that the oil pipelines have not escaped damage caused by groups protesting against local injustices. So a real fear would be that a vital lifeline like a railway would make easy prey. Damage to the tracks or rail cars could be a reality. Another real fear is people not taking precautions at rail crossings. Many deaths occur in America due to people trying to beat the train or getting stuck on the tracks. Although in the overall railway industry these aren't as numerous as one may think, one sad accident is more than enough. But for a developing country like Yemen- a railway is not something that should be over looked. It is a necessity. People converge upon cities like Sanaa and other crucial economic centers to the point of saturation. Sanaa is especially prone to the problem of over-population. But if the people of Yemen could have a fast link to the major economic centers, then maybe they wouldn't over burden them. If a railway wound its way through Yemen from one important center to another, then maybe the country wouldn't look so impossible to explore for potential industry. Yemen is full of wonderful and hard working individuals who are too proud to back down in times of economic hardship. So these individuals would benefit from companies that would have easier access to Yemen. India has long been a center of textile exporters. Yemen could become the next center of this ever-thriving industry. 

The goods could be made in more rural areas and quickly shipped throughout the region. Yemen is in a very special place in the world. It is at the base of the Arabian continent, just a sea away from Africa, close to Persia and the Asian continent. With these large regions so close and having access to a few major bodies of water, Yemen has major trade route potential. All that land wasted on Qat could be put to better use. Newer crops developed around the world could be farmed on these lands. Some regions of Yemen are claimed to be too highly elevated, too dry or any other excuse, but modern science has helped the farming industry. There are better options for farmers today then there were even 10 years ago. I had a silly idea about 4 years ago while in Yemen. I see so many chickens being hawked for sale in the streets. They are fairly small amounts of meat. Many families fill up on things like Aseed, which I do not feel, is nutritional enough for smaller kids. But my idea was simple- why not begin a turkey farm? Sounds weird right? Have you ever seen just how large a turkey grows? How much meat can come from one of those? And one cannot say a turkey eats too much. It is still only a bird. You see, although the idea is a small one, it could provide a source of food and money. I know many will think that is a silly idea, but one idea is better than none. And sadly Yemen is lacking in the ideas department because of an overall lack of hope for the future. 

When I arrived in Yemen last time, the riyal was 85 to $1 US. Now it has doubled. Other ideas that I have had have only been laughed at. Here in America, if you want your community to look nice you clean it up. A clean environment makes people feel better and have pride. I do not ask my government to pay me to pick up the trash in front of my house on the street. I do it for a nice place to live. Why can't the citizens of Yemen do the same? I was saddened at the sight of the trash all over the streets. Small children were running all over the neighborhood where we lived amid all the trash. Some picked up bits of it and made toys with it. I pride them for their imagination, but am sickened by the fact that their playground is nothing more than a dump. In order for all of Yemen to have a better standard of living they must start at ground zero. Cleaning their neighborhoods and streets. Using precious land to grow healthy foods instead of Qat. 

Making education a priority over the military. Encouraging local communities to start some kind of industry. Even in the poorest regions of the world, small groups make things like baskets, textiles, rugs, sell produce, even make things for tourists, so they can generate some kind of money. This kind of thing would really teach the younger generation the value of hard work and give them hope that not all is lost in Yemen today. The whole country should band together to make a better environment for tourism, because that may be the first step in getting Yemen back into shape before it is too late. Places like Egypt prosper from tourism. Yemen has as many great sites to see and more local history than most nations will ever have. If all Yemenis want to prosper and get out of this depressing state it is currently in, then all Yemeni's must strive to make Yemen a more inviting place- for themselves, tourists and potential investors. Yemen is the most amazing place, lets all help make it a better place to live or visit. We cannot just sit idly by waiting for the government to "fix it". All Yemeni's must put in their two cents worth. A little national pride never hurt anyone. Then all we can do is pray that the government does their part, especially to draw potential investors to Yemen. 

Amy Marilyn Watts 
 

Dr. Ramakanta Sahu, 
Associate Professor 
College of Education, Mahweet 

The role of newspapers in carving out a new and healthy social order can never be overestimated. A cursory glance at the currents and crosscurrents of world history gives ample evidence of the crucial role the printed media has played in spearheading revolutions in the realm of ideas, as a result of which old and decadent ideas have yielded place to the new. The French Revolution. The American War of Independence, the Indian Freedom movement, and the South African Liberation movement have all gained substantial momentum, thanks to the pioneering role of newspapers as the heralds of new ideas. 

Throughout the history of the civilization, it has been individuals with the required vision and outlook, or a creative minority, who have been instrumental in providing leadership to translate the ideas into action and help mankind shake off the shackles of slavery to decadent ideas. 
In the context of globalization and the approaching millennium, we here in Yemen, like all others in the rest of the world, are gearing up to herald a new social order, stripping off the practices that have been worn by the ravages of time. Many pertinent issues in the social, academic, administrative, environmental, hygienic and other spheres of human activity are being espoused in print and in the electronic media for raising the level of public awareness and inviting people's participation in the successful implementation of the new, incoming ideas with a global perspective. But, the question is whether we are taking adequate note of all the ideas, and deciding on appropriate strategies on the individual or social levels, in order to make the ideas a reality. As we know, ideas are only abstract entities, and cannot bear fruit unless followed up by an appropriate action plan. Ideas are, of course, sparks and have the potential to ignite the process of creative transformation, provided a step is taken at the right time and in the right direction. As Shakespeare says: 
"There's a tide in the affairs of men which taken at the full leads on to fortune ..." 
On the other hand, if we continue to hibernate in the midst of the flowing ideas, there will be nil progress. 

Sometimes we may be convinced of the saliency of the ideas and the urgency of their adoption or adaptation, but the din and bustle of life and its pressing demands may not permit us to seriously pursue these. As a result, the induced ripple of enthusiasm dies a natural death and ideas do not crystallize into concrete action. 
Lack of sensitivity to the pertinent issues around us is certainly a sign of disease, not of health. Inertia, inaction, and indolence are all symptoms of decadence, not of progressiveness. As such, the need of the hour is to sensitize ourselves to the latest developments in various fields of human endeavor, and to have the will to act. 

When we have before us a plethora of issues, we have to decide on our priorities in terms of their personal or social relevance and place them in context. Otherwise, we run the risk of losing a sense of purpose and direction in the bewildering profusion. Having decided on the priorities, the next important thing is to decide on the logistics of it. This needs insight and careful planning of the steps in the process. We should be clear sighted enough to see how and where to begin, how to follow it up and how to carry an issue to its logical end, giving it a fitting closing. But the fact remains that it is the proper perspective which is of utmost importance. Beginning is highly significant, because 'well begun is half done.' Consistency and precision in following the successive steps are of no mean significance, in so far as the process adopted to complete a task is to a large extent the chief determinant of the product. Self-sustaining vigour and vibrant enthusiasm are the prime catalysts recreating, renewing, reinvigorating, and enriching the individual to move ahead until the goal is reached and the task is well accomplished. 

Social transformation is a slow process. No millennium has ever been achieved overnight or effortlessly. It calls for a tremendous amount of verve, vitality and vigour. It is a long and somewhat arduous process involving a lot of insightful planning, cautious execution, continual monitoring and evaluation, and required modifications. "Rome was not built in a day." Sometimes the frankenstein of frustration might threaten to intimidate all our reserves of energy, pushing us to the brink of dejection and despondency. Patience and forbearance should stand us in good stead, and we should unrelentingly march ahead with single minded grit and resolve. 
However determined an individual is, he cannot move mountains alone. The successful accomplishment of a task of any serious magnitude is contingent on the concerted mass action, in which the individual initiative is the very foundation of the endeavor. 
The Yemeni press is alive to the abiding needs of the contemporary society, and is leaving no stones unturned to educate the public sensibility by publishing a good deal of instructive material. But these ideas, covering a wide range of areas of public interest, would remain at the level of abstractions unless the propositions crystallize into tangible action plans. 

Hence, the need of the hour is to form task forces to formulate an agenda of action on frontiers such as health and hygiene, cleanliness, literacy drives, tourism and so forth. In this way, the newspapers and other mass media can relate themselves more meaningfully to social needs. So, let's wake up to the compulsions of the present and the imperatives of the future, and, like a man of action, 'take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them.' 

The NGO's can also come forward and join hands in the venture. The call of the moment is to diversify and reach out. We may heed the voice of oriental wisdom: 
"Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached." 
"No words, but acts,"Development, in realistic terms, is a bottom-up process. But the beginning has to be made somewhere by somebody. It is better to light a candle than to curse darkness. 
Yemen is an old country, but a young nation. The crucial stakeholders for national reconstruction and social transformation are decidedly the mass of intelligentsia, the intellectuals, the thinkers who are the pioneers, the torch bearers, and leaders in the sphere of public life. If their minds are a laboratory, a Think-Tank to tryout different alternatives, new ideas can emerge and Yemen can achieve the quantum leap.