Update - Tower of David

The Oct 20th, 2013 blog entry 'Random picture - Tower of David' showed a picture of the "Tower of David" - described as: ".... a looming and dilapidated structure that he describes as “a ziggurat of mirrored glass topped by a great vertical shaft, [rising] forty-five stories above the city.” The Tower, which can be seen from almost anywhere in Caracas, is a symbol of the downward spiral that Venezuela has experienced under Hugo Chávez’s rule." Slumlord described "... the world's tallest slum..." and a place "... of prison-style executions, of people being mutilated and their body parts thrown off the upper floors." 

Now 'A Tower Transformed' puts it in a much more positive light, as "... a complex and fascinating place: not just a symbol of poverty, but a symbol of the self-organized activity that offers a way out of poverty. It isn't the development that David Brillembourg envisioned, but it isn't a Ballardian hellscape either. It's more of a messy testimonial to human creativity and survival: ragged, flawed, inventive, and amazing."