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Boston Globe
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
What would Mafalda say to Trump?
That's about to change. This week, a five-volume English-language collection of Mafalda It's a timely collection, for Mafalda's blend of satire, playful humor, and layered meanings appeals to both children and adults. The strip, which ran from 1964 to 1973, is mostly known by its overt political engagement and uses Mafalda and her friends to reflect the social and ideological currents of that time in Argentina, including traditionalism, capitalism, and bureaucracy, embodied by characters like Susanita, Manolito, and Mafalda's sluggish pet turtle, Burocracia. I'm someone who's always getting rid of stuff. I don't hoard. I have little attachment to clothes, furniture, or personal belongings. But through all my moves — across neighborhoods, apartments, and stages of life — one thing has always made the cut: my collection of Mafalda comic books. Advertisement As a kid, I was attracted to Mafalda's wise-beyond-her-years humor and her innocent but sharp curiosity. She's an opinionated child who hates soup and loves democracy and the Beatles — '¡ I learned about the world through Mafalda's commentary on geopolitical issues. One of my favorite subgenres of Mafalda strips is when she reacts to newspaper headlines. Or when she's irreverent and rebellious to her parents. That's another trademark trait of Mafalda: She was not shy about questioning the adults in her life, who were often overwhelmed by what they probably saw as her inane questions, a dynamic that underscores the comic's deeper critique of adult complacency. Advertisement For many immigrants like me, Mafalda is more than a cartoon character. She's a core memory, a mindset, a Latin American cultural icon. And in a country once again led by a president allergic to dissent, nuance, and the truth, what would Mafalda say to Trump? Whatever it might be, it would be sharp and right on time. The author's Mafalda collection. Marcela García This is an excerpt from , a Globe Opinion newsletter from columnist Marcela García. . Marcela García is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at
Boston Globe
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Elon Musk's war on USAID spells disaster for Haiti
Still, to the shock and outrage of many Americans, the Trump administration moved this week to dismantle the US Agency for International Development, Advertisement You can't make this stuff up: Advertisement Which brings me back to While those war-torn countries, as well as nations in Africa and the Middle East, have received For nonprofit organizations like 'We have two very large [USAID] grants that are under review,' Bresnahan said. The combined value of these grants is $3.5 million and they're both to support the construction of a maternal health center with an operating room, she said. 'We have very little hope that those will move forward any time soon.' Advertisement Most of the USAID assistance in Haiti comes through the United Nations, including its support of the newly created multinational police force. The US government Even critics of US aid warn against cutting it off so precipitously. But that doesn't mean the United States should just go cold turkey. 'There's sort of a catch-22 on it,' Johnston told me in an interview. 'Haiti is extremely dependent on foreign aid and if that foreign aid stops, there will be harm. So how do you untangle that while limiting the human damage that that process would entail?' The chaotic stop-work order will do immediate damage on the ground. 'The area in Haiti where this will have the greatest effect is going to be the health sector,' Johnston said. That's because 'the health sector is extremely dependent on USAID financing.' Reforming aid to Haiti is a long-term project. Abruptly freezing USAID funds will only worsen suffering in a country already on the brink. Advertisement This is an excerpt from , a Globe Opinion newsletter from columnist Marcela García. . Marcela García is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at
