One month ago, guardian.co.uk posted a story about the human labor behind the massive construction in the UAE’s favorite larger-than-life province. Dubai is known as the home to many recently broken world records involving architecture. It also happens to host the most construction cranes in the world. Sandy deserts surrounding the main city have “forced” city planners to build upwards (and into the ocean, but that’s a whole different story). While most tourists and travelers to the city awe at the architecture, nearly all fail to notice the sprawling labor camps set up on the city’s outskirts. Kept away from the eyes of the public, these workers come from every corner of the Middle East and India. As The Guardian states, “Like hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, they each paid more than £1,000 to employment agents in India and Pakistan. They were promised double the wages they are actually getting, plus plane tickets to visit their families once a year, but none of the men in the room had actually read their contract. Only two of them knew how to read.”

The profound photographs attached to The Guardian’s investigative article open a portal into this unknown world, where countless individuals work for little pay in a world governed by the wealthy. Their passports are seized by the labor companies, and they are prevented access to even the most basic of healthcare. Though Dubai might host some of the world’s most phenomenal sights, the untold story behind these wonders is one of sorrow and despair. Things may be changing, as conditions have actually improved in recent years, though not by much. You can read the entire article here.

Sometimes I come across photos on Flickr that I just can’t help but write about. These photographs, posted by Flickr user rorymac, were taken by traveler/photographer Daniel Smaller whilst traversing the Asia Overland Hippie Trail in 1977. The Hippie Trail, popular in the late Sixties and Seventies, was an overland route from Europe to Kathmandu which passed through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Nepal. The goal was to travel as cheaply as possible, often taking anywhere from a few months to a half a year to do so. Some even chose to settle in India and Nepal, living on a low budget for a matter of years. Travel was often by private (albeit run-down) private buses, hitchhiking, and trains.

Erik Pontoppidan has a great article about this overland route posted here. The sights and sounds encountered along this trail seem virtually unmatchable. Travelers, who at that time faced very little need for security, were presented with cultures that were still fairly unknown to the outside world. They found themselves traversing large expanses of desert, steep mountain passes, and snow covered hills. It was the golden age of backpack traveling, and helped to launch the movement so beloved by young folk today. This joy would be short lived, however, as American and Soviet fueled political tension in the Middle East quickly made the trail dangerous to navigate. Once peaceful and geographically gorgeous countries were turned into war zones overnight, and travel in the region all but disappeared. Though some pioneered routes that avoided areas of conflict, the trail would never quite be the same.

Though it was a hub for the adventuresome and new-age crowd, some operators did try to commercialize the trail in the mid-1970s. The most recent company to revitalize the trail is Ozbus, which navigates the route across 20 countries from London to Sydney in 13 weeks for a mere £3850. Though the service looks incredible, part of me would still rather do it the traditional way. Granted, I highly doubt I’ll one day even get the opportunity to navigate this historic route. Regardless, I can still add it to my list.

Not sure if you heard, but Barack Obama won the presidential election. The logo that Biz Stone posted to the Twitter Blog pretty much sums up the excitement of the interwebs. Aside from a noticeable lag in the Twitter backbone, the site stayed up throughout the turmoil. And as Stone states, @barackobama, will be the first President of the United States to have an official Twitter account.

The extremely serious Onion News Network gave an update this morning on the current condition of loyal Obama followers, which according to their reporting, seems very grave. On a serious note, Shawn Duffy, a photographer and blogger based in Washington DC, gave his thoughts on the election. In his eyes, “We have proven that the world’s most powerful nation derives its power not from our unprecedented ability to destroy and project fear but from our unmatched capacity to build and encourage hope.” The fact of the matter is that this election is a milestone in American history, and worldwide celebration in the wake of this election is an indicator of the change to come.

“Remember, remember the fifth of November / The gunpowder treason and plot. / I know of no reason / why gunpowder treason / Should ever be forgot.”

Happy Guy Fawkes Night, Bonfire Night, Cracker Night, Fireworks Night, and/or Bommy Night everyone! Yes, it’s everyone’s favorite time of the year again. Four-hundred and three years ago, English Roman Catholic revolutionary Guy Fawkes was put in charge of the execution of a plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London. Tonight, we celebrate the foiling of this plan with the lighting of massive bonfires, spectacular fireworks, and food all around. That is, if you live in the United Kingdom or one of its many former territories. If you live in the States like myself, I would recommend a nice watching of V For Vendetta to quench your thirst for celebration.

And for the record, I had an unnatural urge to write this post as one long alliteration.

I threw together a little 8Tracks mixtape for all your election day blues. The playlist highlights some of the best in traditional/political folk music, including Peter, Paul and Mary, Cat Stevens, Nickel Creek and more. For those of you who don’t know, 8Tracks is one of the new start-ups that emerged after the famous Muxtape was shut down. It merges Muxtape’s playlisting capabilities within the guidelines of technical internet radio streaming to legalize the service. You can also listen to this mix here.