This is a a guest post from my super-cool Dad. In fact, it’s his second post here on TJCC. Check out his review of fascinating memoir Been Everywhere…Got Nowhere, authored by his good friend and Associated Press reporter, who has since passed, Hugh Mulligan. As a journalist, Mulligan had an amazing series of assignments and interviews, with everyone from Bob Hope to The Shah of Iran. You can read more about his adventures below.

Hugh A. Mulligan spent 49 years with the Associated Press, reporting from 146 countries.

In his book: Been Everywhere … Got Nowhere Mulligan has packaged an armchair tour of these fascinating stories, humorous anecdotes, many adventures, and some of his most memorable journeys (and a few that make you wonder.)

Among many major assignments, he covered President Kennedy’s visit to Ireland, President Nixon’s trips to China and Russia, President Reagan’s horseback interview with the Queen of England, conclaves that elected three Popes, 28 of Pope John Paul II’s journeys on every continent, the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, John Glenn’s first orbital flight and his return to space as a senior citizen, the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana . . . and then Princess Diana’s funeral.

As a war correspondent, Mulligan covered two Arab-Israeli wars, conflicts in Ulster, Cyprus, Biafra, Angola and Beirut.. He spent three years in Vietnam and a year in Cambodia. He was the only American correspondent to cross the Suez Canal with Gen. Sharon’s tanks in the Yom Kippur War (about which he authored another book: “Lightning Out of Israel: The Six Day War in the Middle East.”)

In Vietnam, Mulligan covered U.S military and South Vietnamese Army combat operations in every province from the Delta to the DMZ. He flew with a Jolly Green Giants crew to rescue a Navy carrier pilot shot down over Vinh in North Vietnam and was later in Hanoi for the release of U.S. prisoners. His book, “No Place to Die: the Agony of Vietnam,” identified him as the “Ernie Pyle” of the Vietnam war.

He went to the North Pole on a Navy blimp, rode the cab of an 18-wheel tractor trailer up the Alcan Highway in the dead of winter, went on a camel patrol with the Trucial Oman Scouts, and on an elephant patrol with highland tribesmen in Vietnam, covered a Nudist Convention (!) on the Riviera, accompanied Louis Armstrong on one-night stands, and carried a spear in the Metropolitan Opera.

Mulligan has had one-on-one interviews with, among others, Bob Hope, Margaret Thatcher, John Glenn, Gen. Westmoreland, Marilyn Monroe, Casey Stengel, John Cardinal O’Connor, Joe DiMaggio, Tennessee Williams, John Steinbeck, The Shah of Iran, James Jones, Brendan Behan and Vladimir Nabokov and hero cop Frank Serpico. …

In Been Everywhere…Got Nowhere Mulligan takes you with him on these exciting trips and many others writing oftentimes humorously with the clear, concise language of a trained journalist.

What gives the excursion special flavor are his personal reminiscences, linking the trips with famous celebrities.

These true tales will make you experience life around the world, and to know a little bit about a lot of people and places after you have read the book.

Forget the Travel Channel: Curl up! You can also check out more about Mulligan’s experiences in an interview with him here.

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Do you have a favorite travel book – you know, the one that truly “takes” you on the journey with the writer? Share away!

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Post written by Laura Cococcia. You can follow Laura on Twitter.

I grew up in a very Catholic household. Before my super cool mom married my equally remarkable dad, she was a nun. I won’t elaborate – that should explain most of it.

While I wasn’t always the perfect Catholic child (laughs welcome), I continue to be intrigued by the history and analyses of religion and spirituality. In college, I minored in religious studies – “The Quest for the Historical Jesus,” “Intro to Buddhism,” and “Insights into Judaism” were some of my favorite courses.

Enter yesterday. I spent the day with one of the many awesome guides here at Inkaterra. Braulio and I hiked around Machu Picchu for almost six hours. While I read about the Inca religion before the trip, I was incredibly intrigued by the stories Braulio shared from his extensive studies as we ate our ham and cheese sandwiches. No book – or Wikipedia – can replace such rich accounts.

Later that evening, I took a type of spirituality walk with Roberto, another fab guide here. We talked about how so much of the spiritual culture here is centered on respect for nature. All parts of nature – mountains, snakes, fire, and water – are regarded as living elements, just as humans are. Each provides a different energy – and when we connect with them, we exchange a mutual spiritual power.

The Peruvian Giving Tree

But then, about 25 minutes into the walk, Roberto told me we were going to hug a tree. Like really hug it.

At first, I was a bit wary. People have called me a tree hugger before – but with a different meaning. Yes, I was wearing my bandana, but I was entering new territory.

So, Roberto and I asked the tree for permission to connect with it, and then gave it a big giant bear hug. Out of respect. It was pretty cool. Not sure if it was all in my mind, but I’m pretty sure the tree was thankful.

You may or may not know that my favorite book of all time is Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree. Man, I love that book. I cry every time I read it. I don’t cry often, but this one gets me every time.

Maybe that’s why the tree and I got along.

Extra Reading For The Curious

Is it irony? Fate? Two of the magazines I brought with me on this adventure contained articles about current perspectives of spirituality and religion in our global culture.

Check out this one from a recent issue of Foreign Policy: “Think Again: God” by Karen Armstrong offers some provocative commentary into how we view God, religion and spirituality from a variety of perspectives. Quick read and her writing style kept me engaged from beginning to end.

What’s your take on spirituality? Do you consider it separate from religion or one in the same?

More to come soon, friends. Until then, be well.

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Post written by Laura Cococcia. You can follow Laura on Twitter.

Much of my life’s interest has focused on women’s empowerment. As a woman who is fortunate enough to have many privileges, both social and economic, I have always felt compelled to help advocate for women’s rights, even on the smallest scale.

I completed my undergraduate and graduate work in women’s studies, equipped with the full academic background on women’s issues. I thought I was an expert.

Of course I was – aren’t university degrees everything?

Hardly. Right after college, I volunteered full time at a homeless women’s shelter in the Chicago housing projects. I then worked as a community educator and counselor at a domestic violence center. The lessons I learned and stories I could share with you far outweigh any thesis paper I ever wrote for my degrees.

Now, I’m attempting to learn from others’ stories. I’ve felt extremely fortunate to have interviewed many women committed to changing women’s rights globally through social activism, including Amy Richards, Jennifer Baumgardner and Mariane Pearl, to name a few.
And the stories continue. This week I came across a series of fascinating articles chronicling the major issues facing our world’s women and the associated efforts to raise awareness and affect change. I am grateful to the journalists and publications uncovering and sharing these stories with our wider global audience.
The short roundup below features just a few of the major stories I came across over the past few days (also thanks to Christa for sharing some of these with me). We hope that TJCC can be an additional platform to raise awareness to a broader audience of not only these issues, but of the people, places and things making real change happen.
1) Sunday’s New York Times Magazine feature article, The Women’s Crusade, Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn detail the injustices of women globally, highlighting much of their research of their new book, Half The Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. The book will be released in early September.
2) Gordon Brown and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf also offer commentary on the book and women’s rights in their article, Taking Women’s Rights Seriously, published today on The Huffington Post.
3) Last week, Christa provided a preview of the NYT Magazine article and other authors writing about women and social change on her blog. Definitely check out her article Take Care of Women.
4) Eve Ensler shared commentary on Governor Schwarzenegger’s veto of 100% of California’s domestic violence budget in her article The Terminator Is Back at The Huffington Post. Be sure to check out the comments on the article – they offer some healthy debate.
For me, these pieces offered a thoughtful and often provocative look at the issues about which I’m passionate through the powerful medium of storytelling.
As always, we welcome your perspectives on these and other issues affecting our global culture. Is there a topic about which you’re passionate? We’d love to hear your thoughts and the resources you find along the way.
Image credit: www.smith.edu

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