The Barrel-Monster, while awesome, results in criminal charges for its creator

JUNE 12–A North Carolina man is facing criminal charges for creating an amusing piece of public art from construction barrels. Joseph Carnevale, 21, was nabbed Wednesday after a Raleigh Police Department investigation determined that he was responsible for the work (seen below) constructed May 31 on a roadway adjacent to North Carolina State University. Carnevale, pictured in the mug shot at right, was charged with misdemeanor larceny for allegedly building his orange monster from materials pilfered from a construction site. According to an arrest warrant, Carnevale “destroyed three road blocking barrels by cutting and screwing them together to form a statue.” Police estimated that Carnevale’s artwork caused $360 in damages to Hamlett Associates, the North Carolina construction company that owned the barrels. Carnevale is scheduled for a July 21 court appearance in Wake County. (2 pages)

Image and story via The Smoking Gun

1200 lbs. of cheese carved to make a Statue of Liberty sculpture

And captured with time-lapse photography for your viewing pleasure. I wish they hadn’t captured the atrocious music though. This gentleman, Troy Landwehr, is actually referred to as a “Champion Cheese Carver.” Signs you live in an opulent society:

1. Very, very large man.

2. Said large man has time and energy to devote to carving, not eating, a food for public display.

3. Once said sculpture is displayed, the unwashed masses not only don’t stone the large man to death for wasting food, they honor him with the title of “Champion.”

1200 lbs. of cheese+overweight man+Statue of Liberty=

America, F##k Yeah! (extremely NSFW language)