Fluff

Where's My Castle on the Moon?

We've got a new Lady of Carbisdale Castle. Also, India will discover that the moon is haunted, Gabon's military has taken control, someone stole money from a very high up box, and a porcupine was shipwrecked.

Endeavorance

Aug 30, 2023 — 3 min read

Wake Up, Take a Flight, Buy a Castle

A woman just kinda bought a haunted castle because why the fuck not? Samantha Kane—sorry—LADY Samantha Kane of Carbisdale Castle—bought uh… Carbisdale Castle.

It's a decrepit old structure on a hillside over a lake, and has been having some structural and water issues, but Kane saw a sale fell though and that it was back on the market, and she pounced at the opportunity to just flat out buy a castle.

Since then, she's been renovating it and coming up with plans to open a distillery, on-site lodging and to turn parts of the castle (which is now her full time residence) into a museum.

We stan the Lady of Carbisdale.

Also, the castle is apparently haunted, and she's chill with that.

India on the Moon

India has successfully landed a craft near the south pole of the moon, marking a first for the country and humanity as a whole. They've since started fetching imagery from the landing zone and beaming it back to Earth, while planning to have their lil' lunar dude roll around and do some science in the area.

Notably, Russia was racing India to be the first country to land at the south pole of the moon, but Russia's craft was a bit too eager and crashed into the moon instead.

Gabon Joins the Coup Craze

The military in Gabon has seized power in an apparent coup against their president, unseating the president just moments after the election results were called for him to start another term. Notably, the president, Ali Bongo, is the son of the previous president and took over power from his father who held the seat from 1967 to 2009, giving the Bongo family a nearly 60-year rule over the country.

Hundreds of citizens flooded the streets in support of the coup delivering a message of relief after decades of rule from a family that hasn't delivered on enriching the lives of the people.

France is not particularly happy with this turn of events, as Gabon is another state that has roots as a French colony. France has condemned the coup.

This comes not long after the (still ongoing) coup event in Niger, and marks another in a streak of coups in the region in the past few years. The situation is very much ongoing.

What Happens When You Meet a Stranger in the Alps

So in Switzerland, there's a group of mountaineers who volunteer to maintain climbing routes around the country, including the Gemmi pass route, which is the oldest protected route in the country. At the summit of the climbing route—which for clarity includes traversing large gaps via thin wires and climbing vertical ladders and whatnot—is a donation box. Basically a way for climbers to give back to the community after completing a summit.

Well, someone broke open that donation box and stole the money inside. It only amounted to a few hundred Swiss Francs (~$500 USD) but its the concept that's shitty and confusing the climbers. Someone who had the skills and ability to complete the notoriously difficult climb made it to the top and used tools to break open the donation box and steal from it. That's just… bewildering. Like, there's plenty of things to steal from that are not at the top of one of the toughest mountain climbs in an entire country full of mountain climbs but like, go off I guess?

Needless to say, the club is bummed, and while they aren't doing a whole lot in the way of seeking justice, they're mostly just like "what the hell? Who does that?"

On This day…

On this day in 1791, the HMS Pandora ran aground off the Great Barrier Reef. It was carrying captured mutineers from the famed HMS Bounty mutiny. Four of the prisoners ended up perishing in the shipwreck along with dozens of crew members.

The most important detail here, in my opinion, was that the HMS Pandora was of the "Porcupine Class" of ships. So. That's pretty cute.