#courtenay

[allthecanadianpolitics]

‘What the heck’s going on?’ Bizarre social media challenge prompts warnings from police across Canada

It started as a harmless prank by teenagers but a homeowner in Nanaimo, B.C., says it escalated into property damage, harassment and threats

It started as a harmless prank by teenagers but a homeowner in Nanaimo, B.C., says it escalated into property damage, harassment and threats against the lives of his family members. Marty Peters says his family is a victim of a social media trend that involves aggressively kicking the doors of strangers’ homes, which has police across Canada warning about the potential for dangerous consequences. “We had some weird knocking on the door and it was like, ‘What the heck’s going on?’ And then nobody was there. And it just kind of escalated from there,” Peters said in an interview.

Read more.

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[malavoie1]

Heron at Seal Bay II

📍 Seal Bay Regional Nature Park, Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada ⧉

I spent a good chunk of the afternoon following this Great Blue Heron up and down the shoreline at Seal Bay, trying to keep pace while staying low and quiet enough not to spook it. Watching these birds hunt is honestly mesmerizing — they move so slowly and deliberately that every step feels calculated. Then suddenly, strike. I was excited when it finally caught a small fish, even if the prize came bundled with a string of seaweed.

Great Blue Herons are incredible hunters and can stand perfectly still for surprisingly long periods before striking with lightning-fast precision. Despite looking elegant and almost delicate, they’re opportunistic predators that will eat fish, amphibians, crustaceans, and even small mammals when given the chance. Their long necks work almost like a coiled spring, which is exactly what lets them spear prey so effectively in shallow water. Seeing one working the shoreline like this always reminds me how prehistoric these birds look up close.

Compositionally, I really like how the heron’s body forms this long sweeping S-curve across the frame, leading directly toward the catch. The low shooting angle helps flatten the perspective and emphasizes the reflection in the water, while the soft overcast light keeps the tones muted and natural without harsh shadows. Shooting at 300mm compressed the scene nicely and isolated the bird against the smooth water background, helping every detail in the feathers stand out. The fast shutter speed of 1/800s was a good choice here because it froze the exact moment the heron lifted its catch from the water while still preserving a tiny bit of movement in the dripping seaweed and ripples. Stopping down to f/8 also gave enough depth of field to keep most of the bird sharp from head to tail while maintaining a pleasingly soft background separation.

Camera: Pentax K-3

Lens: HD PENTAX-DA 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED WR

300mm / ƒ/8 / 1/800s / ISO 200

Taken: April 18, 2026

[unteriors]

16th Street, Courtenay, North Dakota.

[super-2-0-0-0]

Courtenay

[sciencetylia]

Pro Palestine posters in a bus shelter: Courtenay, BC, Canada.

October 31st, 2023.

[waterforwars]

Skagos - Anarchic

Skagos is an altar of life, crafted by living hands, guided by a living mind, in a world dead, but ever dreaming.

[marryat92]

“The unofficial, yet commonly used, naval term ‘young gentleman’ referred to a commissioned officer-in-training. The appellation encompassed a variety of ratings including the entry-level positions of captain’s servant (before 1794) and 1st-class volunteer (after 1794), as well as the ratings of midshipman and master’s mate,” writes historian S.A. Cavell in her book Midshipmen and Quarterdeck Boys in the British Navy, 1771-1831.  She acknowledges that ‘young gentlemen’ were not necessarily gentlemen by birth, or very young (in her doctoral thesis research, candidates ranged in age from seven to fifty-eight), but typically, “the majority of officer candidates were between the ages of thirteen and twenty-two.”

It’s understandable that the short, youthful-looking Second Lieutenant Courtenay of The King’s Own is increasingly annoyed as the captain of an Indian pilot schooner keeps referring to him as a ‘young gentleman.’

"Very glad we agree upon that point, Captain M—— . Young Gentleman," continued he, addressing himself to Courtenay, “you'll oblige me by not coming to an anchor on my hen-coops. If you wish to sit down, you can call for a chair.”

“Rather annoying,” muttered Courtenay, who did not much like being called "young gentleman."

"A chair for the young gentleman," continued the captain of the schooner. "Starboard a little. [...] “You will now have an opportunity of beholding a very uncommon sight, which is the propitiatory dance to Shivu. There is no occasion for hurrying on so fast, young Gentleman,” continued the captain to Courtenay; "they will continue it till midnight.”

“How excessively annoying that 'captain of his own ship’ is," observed Courtenay to Macallan. "'Young gentleman!' As if he could not see my epaulet.” 

“And yet there is nothing particularly to be affronted about. You have a very youthful appearance, and surely you are not displeased at being called a gentleman.”

"Why, no; but that is the reason why I am annoyed, because I cannot take it up.” 

— Frederick Marryat, The King's Own

image: Two young midshipmen in sight of home, painting by Philip Richard Morris

[freshwaterchaos]

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