From the inaugural issue of Ugarte, a review of Harold Bloom's The Anatomy of Influence: Literature as a Way of Life; and Mr. Asshole: Ben Clague on the disastrous effects of being liked. LGBT Youth: It’s the best and worst of times according to Dan Savage. James Verini on the unquiet life of Franz Gayl: A tech-savvy Marine who made too much noise, helped save the lives of countless troops in Iraq, and paid with his career. Breakaway Wealth: With executive pay, rich pull away from rest of America. Erogenous Gaps: Humor happens when an audience fills in the gaps — at its best, those gaps are packed layers deep with meaning. The Neverending Nightmare of Amanda Knox: How a naive kid from Seattle was coerced into confessing to a brutal murder and wound up sentenced to 26 years in an Italian jail. A look at the tax law that can make your kids super rich. What will it take for America to accept transgender people for who they really are? The Spam Factory's Dirty Secret: First, Hormel gutted the union, then it sped up the line, and when the pig-brain machine made workers sick, they got canned. From stepsister MAD imitation to internet sensation: For nearly fifty years, Cracked Magazine was cast in the shadow of rival MAD Magazine — its internet reincarnation has facilitated a stunning role reversal.
