Free Poets Society : Its Vegas Baby

Welcome to Las Vegas, city of bright lights and fast cars
Did it prove too much of a distraction for our 7's stars

We won at Wellington
Boy wasnt that a lot of fun

We had high hopes for that desert city in Nevada
But wasnt good enough, we should have played harder

USA has a large Fijian population
Our boys receive a lot of attention

Remember what happened in Ireland
Sometimes we can go ove the bend

So Vegas came and went
Our championship hopes suffered a major dent

Now now this is only speculation
Just a few thoughts in our address to the nation

The boys did well overall
Its is funny game with the oval ball

You cant win them all
Sometimes you have to go with the punches and roll

Isnt is funny how we do this every time
Make it all so funny and make it rhyme

Free Poets Society and Sports Desk


INDEPENDENT,BALANCED,IMPARTIAL.

Gold Mining in Wainibuka a real Possibility

Not all that glitters is gold.

 

Only fools rush in.

 

The above two cliches came to mind as the Loyal Fijain read about the "announcement" that gold had been "discovered" in one of the most beautiful places in Fiji, Wainibuka.

 

And so Loyal Fijian treated the news that the elders of Nailega district in Wainibuka are meeting to oversee exploration work on their land with some apprehension and trepidation.

 

While on one hand, the people of Wainibuka are entitled to use their resources for the betterment of their people, past experience with mining companies in Fiji shows that there is much to be wary of.

 

 Gold mining is a high risk industry. The impact on the unspoilt Wainibuka environment , will be tremendous.

 

5000 acres is a lot of land. And its not only the land whether the excavation and drilling tales place that will be affected.

 

The crystal clear river will run brown and inevitably traces of poisonous chemicals used in the mining process will make its way into the river.

 

Loyal Fijian supports the people in their desire to use what they have to life their quality of life.Here at Loyal Fijian HQ, we are not tree hugging environmentalists who enjoy all the comfort and luxury of air conditioning, three cars in the garage, overseas travel etc and expect others not to exploit their natural resources to get some of what we take for granted.

 

But still, Wainibuka will never be the same.

Digicel Lays of 55 staff

Well, well,  well. If it is too good to be true, it probably is!

 

Loyal Fijian previously wrote about Digicel's huge advertising campaign in Fiji and their claims of targeting Fiji as a major market for them. One could not help but wonder how Digicel was going to recover the money they were throwing around to compete with a global giant like Vodafone which was well established in Fiji and why?

 

Why Fiji?

 

We all know that the Fijian mobile phone market is not going to turn over billions in profits for any Telco. Then why spend so much money in trying to wrest control of the Fiji mobile phone market? Was it feasible? Or was there something more to it?

 

The profit margin on the operations in the first five years was always going to be very low. Digicel had to lure customers away from its primary competitor, Vodafone, and the only way to do that was offer very very cheap prepaid packages.

 

For the Fijian consumer, that's great! Just about every household with mobile coverage has a mobile phone now. And that's fantastic.

 

But businesses must make money or shareholders are very unhappy!

 

And so when the news came that Digicel's new CEO Matt Davey, who took over from John Delves, had initiated a review of operations which has seen the sacking of 55 staff, it was hardly surprising.

 

The gamble is not working. 55 sacked staff for a set up like Digicel is very high. And what now for Digicel?

 

Will they continue their high visibility marketing campaign and their low cost pre-paid phone sales strategy?

 

As most will know, Telco's don't make money from selling phones. Nope. Phones are literally free, the money is made by selling recharge cards and that depends on people making regular use of their phones.

 

But judging by the number of people who have old mobile phones lying around which they don't use, this gamble doesn't seem to be working. In Fiji, one phone is enough for a family.

 

 

Conversations of Jone, Joe and Jaswant : Its Tactics, not Testi****!

It's a "Review Session", the boys are still pumped after Fiji's win in Wellington. Big win saraga as Jaswant says.

 

Jaswant: Va cava Go Fiji Go!!Woo Woo!!

 

Jone : Seti, where's India ? Why they never play rugby?

 

Jaswant: Whats India got to do with it? Im Fijian just like you!

 

Jone :Yeah right. If you say so.

 

Joe: It was a good win for the boys.

 

Jaswant: But bad for you aye. You gang lost in the semis hehehhe

 

Joe: You are mistaken about my nationality.

 

Jaswant: Where u from then huh ? Where?

 

Joe: I belong to the human race. I will go wherever I am needed.

 

Jaswant :WHAT? See Joe..Oqo sa rerevaki saraqa Kai. I told you this faller gonna be trouble.

 

Jone: Se Relax Jas. Boy that Kolinisau good player aye. But why they never play Ryder in starting line up?

 

Jaswant: Hes impact player, its all testicles man!

 

(Joe and Jone laugh)

 

Joe: You mean tactics.

 

Jaswant: Yeah yeah, kuni va fancy otherwise use gang gonna……..

 

Jone : (Interrupting) Se, gunu mada.

Free Poets Society : Good ol Pajero

Loyal Fijian has been doing some thinking

Based on this thinking, Ive done some inking

 

My inking involves taking some facts and doing some linking

Add some humour  and a Free Poets Society poem comes up springing

 

To this mix, add some satire and start stirring

But be careful of the heat or it will start burning

 

Topic for this one is Pajeros

Big as beasts and fast like arrows

 

We all want one

It must be a lot of fun

 

Be it a prince or a pauper, a worker or a manager

Everyone wants a Pajero, not the Hilux, not the Ranger

 

Ohhh we love them so much

Start the engine, release the handrake and take the foot off the clutch

 

Is it a status symbol

Makes you feel all powerful and cause a ripple

 

Its not nice to give and take it back

Let him keep it, after all he's up there doing nothing but yak yak yak

 

Isnt it funny how we do this everytime

Make it all so funny and make it rhyme

 

Free Poets Society