By Tim Binnall
In a fine example of the popular lament "this is why we can't have nice things," a self-described artist attempted to carve a peace sign into the Maine ice disk. The remarkable formation has become something of a sensation since it was first discovered atop the Presumpscot River in the city of Westbrook earlier this month. Spawning headlines around the world, the ice disk has drawn hundreds of visitors eager to marvel at the breathtaking natural creation.
Alas, one of the out-of-towners who showed up at the site had plans that went beyond merely admiring the ice disk. On Thursday afternoon, a New Jersey man named Christopher Angulo was reportedly spotted venturing out onto the formation and began whacking it with an ax and cutting into it with a chainsaw. When asked why he was defacing the now-beloved ice disk, he explained that his plan was to carve a peace sign into the frozen circle which had stopped rotating earlier this week. Hoping that his work would somehow result in the disk spinning again, Angulo revealed that his ultimate goal was to "create that visual for people to see of peace making the world go around."
Fortunately for fans of the disk in its untouched form, it seems that the would-be artist's work was largely an epic failure as he neither completed the peace sign nor caused the formation to start rotating again. That said, his misadventure did result in a somewhat unsightly gouge in the ice. As one can imagine, residents of Westbrook were aghast at Angulo's antics and decried his defacing of the disk. Considering the backlash, it would probably be wise for the man to head back to New Jersey, since any disgruntled members of the community that encounter him now are unlikely to give peace a chance.