Michael Werbowski

Good-Bye to “Babbitt- land” and the Middle- Class

michael werbowski — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:28:50 +0000

The demise of the middle-class is a work in progress

“Babbitt- land,” this is a place where I once lived and grew up in. It's a blissful, quite suburban neighbourhood within a major North American city. A place endowed with shining banking and corporate towers stretching upwards into the sky. A place with an affluent middle class, made up of professionals (dentists, engineers, doctors, lawyers, etc) and of course entrepreneurs.

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Proro-gate (A satirical version of a scandal)

michael werbowski — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:11:20 +0000

In a fictitious televised address to his people, the great leader announces his resignation to the nation from the bunker under siege.

My Fellow Underlings.

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An open letter to the Queen of Canada (Satire)

michael werbowski — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:00:59 +0000

An appeal to our illustrious monarch to defend our democracy from usurpers and abusers of power

Your Royal Majesty,

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P.M. Plays 'Strongman' Politics

michael werbowski — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 01:05:57 +0000

An article which appeared back in 2007 when Harper suspended parliament for the first time as P.M.

Author's note: This piece appreared on "Oh My News International" back in 2007 (10-06-07) and I have posted it again, this time in view of the current crisis and to show that there's a disturbing pattern of the prorogation of parliament developing.

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The Coming Plague

michael werbowski — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:10:15 +0000

Who are the real agressors?

After the Peloponnesian War
Thucydides saw it.
In the sixth century A.D.
A stricken Procopius
In Constantinople,
Deplored it.

Many generations later,
Defoe reached back to 1665
To recreate its dread
As seen by one man,
Left alive.

For Albert Camus
Its horror became an allegory
Of Nazi occupation.

Now here we are again.
The birds sicken and die.

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Our long journey into the Night

michael werbowski — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:55:04 +0000

The current parliamentary crisis in Ottawa framed historically

Canada went through three major political crises which threatened to destabize it in recent memory or jolting its populace out of their predictably complacent “comfort zone”. The first was the so called “October crisis” of 1970. The second was the 1995 referendum.

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H1N1-Swine Flu: The perfect panacea or cure for political dissent

michael werbowski — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:34:23 +0000

The heady mixture of pestilence, war and internal instability

2009 has been a year of endless wars and man made pestilence. Pandemic emergencies have been invoked in failing or failed states such as Mexico last spring, and more recently in Ukraine (“Ukraine’s Fantom flu”, Foreign Policy, November 25, 2009). Both states are in current internal turmoil and are basically being kept afloat thanks to an IMF loan lifeline, or billions in cash infusions.

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The Electric Gulag

michael werbowski — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:39:17 +0000

A poem about the new age of high-tech bondage

Fenced in, hemmed in and caged are we.

Some are subdued others controlled and almost willingly, blind and still more cannot or do not want see.

Humankind, zapped, restrained, contained or trapped like hunted elks or boars.
Deprived daily of dignity men and women bereft of decency or common mores.

Tasers, stun guns, phasers, weapons of the highest degree inflicting one more casualty.

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Canada’s Rogue Conservatives Prorogue Parliament

michael werbowski — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:33:54 +0000

This is the third time the ruling party wants to shut down democracy

This week during the year’s slowest news period, startling reports from Ottawa have revealed that the Canadian conservative Prime Minster, Stephen Harper intends to prorogue or postpone the opening of parliament for at least a month.

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Climate Chaos

michael werbowski — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:59:19 +0000

An ode to our ailing planet

Hurricanes like Hiroshima,
Floods of biblical proportions.
Consumerism and greed out of all proportions.

Melting Icecaps, scorched and parched soil
My brain slowly begins to boil.
Mindless waste and perpetual haste,
Procrastinating politicians,
Ever more gas emissions
Bringing us warmer conditions.

Tsunamis, tidal waves and ferocious typhoons;

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Canada's Mining Mayhem

michael werbowski — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:40:10 +0000

Mining must be made more accountable and sustainable

Canadians are at times somewhat naively led to believe how their role in Afghanistan is based on humanitarian principles. “Our troops” are supposedly there to promote women’s rights, chase out the evil Taliban and restore the country to peace and stability. It is all put forward by officials in an over simplistic, fairy tale like- good and evil narrative. The ends justify the means.

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