Exploring Kal-Arath -SOLO RPG Actual Play - Character Creation and Episode 1 - First Blood.

 Hi Everyone,

                       I have just purchased the Kal-Arath compendium rules #1 (Kal-Arath, The Valley of the Black Ziggurat, Lords of the Pit) from Lulu.com, and this is my first solo mission, setting out into the world. I like it, I will be buying the supplements.

Episode 1 - First Blood.

Meet Mal-Shui, Our hero.

Mal-Shui - Strength = 1, Toughness = 2, Agility = 1, Intelligence = -1, Presence = 1

Male Human. Age =24. Brown eyes, 6'1" tall. Longsword, (Attack +1, Damage +1)

Hp. Max =7, Current =6.

Equipment

Longsword, Staff (Homebrew Item = Easy to find and make.) Dagger.

5 days' rations in a sack. Waterskin. Rough blue tunic, an animal fur

cloak, tinder and flint. Silver Coins = 4.

Resolution=2d6+STAT.

8+= Standard success.

If the task is very difficult = roll 2d6 and pick the lowest.

Two 6's= Critical Success. Two 1's= Critical failure.

Initiative = d6+ADI. 4+ They go first.

Range Attack= 2d6+agi>8.

Melee Attack=2d6+str +(Longsword+1)>8

Encumbrance = 9 items.

Episode 1 - First Blood. You are in your home village of Scaleel, a depressing village in the middle of the grasslands, which is in decline. It is on high ground at the edge of a marsh. You have heard from travellers that the city of Thraz is somewhere far to the east. Your goal is to join the Black Legion by winning in the fighting Pits in Thraz. You have made up your mind that you are not going to wait around any longer. Today, you are actually going to do it. You say farewell to your friends in the village and set out on your journey.

Season - Autumn. Weather - Early snow flurries. 

You make time plodding through the local marsh, where you have fished your whole life. You see a wizard, Jis-Kel, probably coming from the next village over, Goritan to the east, but he missed the usual path. He is friendly, and I confirm the path back to Scaleel for him. He thanks me and starts on his way. I skirt the main body of water ahead and head NE.

             I meet a party of treasure seekers, who nod to me as they pass by (neutral). They do not seem to be in the mood to chat, so I do not enquire what lies ahead. Later, I pass into hillier foothills and stop for a break where I have a good view, or at least I would have, if the snow-filled clouds would lift a bit. I gather some branches off some dry bushes and break them up into a bundle, just in case there is nothing where I have to make camp.

            I met some Kainar yak herders coming down from the higher plains. I mention that I have seen a terradun nesting on the cliff, which would be too fearsome to face alone, but together we can take it down. We discuss the problem and decide to shoot it at range from the clifftop, and I will dispatch it, if needed, with my sword.

Terradum = 40 HP.  

The archers are very good, 5 shots hit it, and it is mortally wounded. I climb down a rope to finish it off, along with the chicks. I slip partway and get friction burns on my hands. 1 damage. It lunges at me with its beak, but I can tell that it is weak through its wounds. It tries to peck me again, I bat the beak away again with my sword, and I slash its throat, getting a wet spray of blood and a gurgling cry. I stand back and let the blood loss do its work. It is soon dead, the chicks covered in their mother's blood. I dispatch them with a quick twist of their necks.

 Then we haul up the carcass, the chicks and the egg in a sack. Then break out the firewood to have a feast. I have now bonded with the Kainar tribesfolk. They give me a Terradon tooth on a necklace with the tribal symbol carved on it. They tell tall tales of giant red and yellow stick beasts which hunt lone travellers who dare go into the Red Mountains. They sing the praises of the plains and the joys of the simple life. He replied that he wanted to see some of the world before he settled down with a family. They laughed and agreed. I salute their brave warriors. I gain 6 rations from the feast, together with part of an egg shell to use as a cooking bowl. We dance into the night, as it is not often that a Terradum is killed, so to get four in one go is a great achievement. We have no night encounters. 

 The end of day 1.

Map 1a- Day 1.

A Hex is 6 miles wide. Mal's home village is on the left edge. Mal foraged in the first marsh hex to the east and found nothing apart from the wizard and the treasure seekers. NE is the hills with the Yak folk. Mal has covered about 15 miles and eaten 2 rations on the move

.

I am using "Wilderness Encounters" from drivethruRPG.com to give me more setting information.

There is more to come in episodes 2 and 3 (in draft).

Regards all,

Ivor Cogdell

Kal-Arath (C) Copyright 2023 Castle Grief.

Permission to copy for personal use.

Terradon pictures (C) Copyright? Meta.AI.

"The Warrior" Artwork # 0276 (C) Copyright 19 May 2008 Ivor Cogdell.

Map 1a Artwork and Exploring Kal-Arath (C) Copyright 2026 Ivor Cogdell.

I am using "Wilderness Encounters" from drivethruRPG.com. No copyright visible.

Call of Chuthulu - One Shot "People on the shore" - Not the correct title (Spoilers)

Hi Everyone,

                     Here is a one-shot(most probably) of a 1920's Call of Cthulhu RPG, I have just taken part in - 7th February 2026, with John and Richard.

18 April 1924 -

Hank (myself) is an athletic scholar at a university. Frank is a Zoroastrian priest (John), and Caroline is a reporter (Richard).  Our Patron is a Mr Will Corbett, of Corbett Industries. His son, Master Mark Corbett and a Miss Emily Danvers have both run off from their parent's, and plan to meet up at a secluded location, and are coming from different locations.

Will has been tracking their movements by calling the gas stations in the area and seeing if they have passed by or got gas. Emily has passed Peabody and gone through Lynn. We think that they are heading for a stop in the Peabody area, according to the gas stations on the route, and then to a nearby Hotel, "The Swimming Hole". It is next to a lake, with a Stone Circle and half flooded church in the grounds.

    Frank has a sawn-off shotgun with 6 rounds, and I have a pistol with 6 rounds. Harry and Caroline have a knife each.

We follow the two lovers in Mr Corbett's roadster, with Henry, the chauffeur, at the wheel. When we arrive at "The Swimming Hole". The owners of the hotel are Zeke, who is in a wheelchair with a blanket covering his legs and Ned Garvey. Both are very powerfully built.  There is a shotgun on the back of the reception wall. The hotel is T-shaped, the reception and private owner's area are along the top, the first 4 rooms are on the front, and the other three are around the back, facing the lake. Further down is the wood and stone circle; the church is further around the lake.  

We check the register and find that Emily has booked in and is here in room 7, with another name crossed out for an unknown reason, presumably Martin's. There was no sign of his car out front; Emily's was still there.  A Mr Grant Jones is staying in number 4, with a local IronInn Fisheries van parked at the bottom of the T, probably his.

Glancing back through the register, while Ned is getting our towels, I notice that males seem to go missing on the night of the full moon, which unfortunately, is tonight. Emily Room is in room 7, Caroline and Henry take Room 2, Frank and I take Room 1. Looking around, we find tracks of something that has been dragged into the rear section of the hotel, we think either Emily or Mark. 

 We discover a spyhole in the wall, and Harry sees an octopus in the loo. John shoots it and blows the loo to bits. Frank then hears Zeke coming through a secret trapdoor in the floor, and Zeke now has Octopus legs. Frank shoots it, rolls 4d6 = 18, kills it/him. It falls back down the hole. Frank thinks he saw his backbone explode towards the lake. The rest of us think it's rubbish.

 Somewhere, a bell chimes midnight.

A slug slithers through the spyhole, crawls across the floor and bites me on the leg, for 1 point of damage. I kill it, and another one is trying to do the same thing. I manage to stomp on that one without too much trouble. 

Looking into the reception area, we see that Ned has armed himself with his shotgun and has vanished.

As we are passing room 4, the door opens, and a shadowy figure appears. 

 "Blub.alub.alub. Hallo, Blub.alub.alub. Hallo".

Already scared stiff by the night's events, I kill the creature with a pistol shot to the body. On searching the body, we notice that he has webbed hands underneath his gloves. We take his ID and keys to his van.

Episode 2, 

On seeing the recent events, Caroline had a psychotic episode, panicked, and ran off into the woods, and we chased after her. We hear chanting from the stone circle. As I approached the lake shore, I saw a sea monster and had an episode and froze in place, watching something or someone being chained to a rock by robed figures. Harry had an phyycotic episode, and his mind was taken over by the creature, and he started coming for me.

I broke free of my trance, turned to run away, yelling, "It's coming for me, Hank's coming to get me!"

Ferb took cover in the trees, and I ran past him. He jumped out, shot Harry with 1 barrel, and turned him into red mist.

"Let's get out of this mad place!"

 Ferb burned the fish truck, and we set off in the roadster up the driveway, where we got stuck in the mud. I jumped out and managed to bump us free. We went to Perdue to get more petrol. The gas station was locked up and deserted when we got there, so we had to break in and, with a bit of figuring,  manually started the pumps. We left some bills on the table to cover the gas and the lock. We filled up the tank, then looked around for some spare gas tanks and put them in the boot, where an "octopus child" leapt out at us. 

 I grabbed it by the throat and launched it up the road, like a football, where Ferb shot it with the last of his ammo, but it had launched a detachable hand at me and tried to strangle me with it. Ferb pulled it off me, and we squished it. We made sure that there was nothing else in there, slammed the boot lid and got out of there fast.                                                                                                             

Missing in Action - Martin, Emily and Caroline.

Casualties - Hank.

Enemies dealt with - Zeke, Gary. Ocopus Child, 2 Slugs.

Opposition Forces - Ned, the Chanters in the wood, your actual, real-life Sea Monster.

Ferb and I were the only witnesses to survive. We wondered how we were going to explain this to Will when we got back, certainly not with the truth, whatever that was. I am now a germophobe through the shock of it all.

The end, possibly.....

There you go, that was about 5 hours' worth of fun and dice rolls, over two sessions, squashed down into a few lines. We were using luck points and losing sanity points all the way through that chaotic romp. Many thanks to John for saving my neck and Richard, acting as Harry and Caroline, along with being the all-powerful GM, for putting it on the line in the first place, splashing out for the rules and his time collecting additional pictures of props and stuff to flesh out the story for us. This was only one of many ways the story could have gone. 

We have no immediate plans to continue with the story, but it may come back on our radar again at some time in the future.

Call of Chuthulu (C) 2026 Copyrights. All rights reserved. All persons in here are fictitious and are not meant to portray anyone living, dead or in any other plane of existence.

Regards all,

Ivor Cogdell

P.S. Hats off to the Silurians (C) Copyright Dr.Who, just in case they are related.

Thoughts On - Star Trek Academy, Update 5 - 13 Feb 2026.

 Hi Everyone,

                    I have very bad news to convey,  I have just seen the trailer for Star Drek Academy, Crappy-write 2026, and I was absolutely appalled by the utter drivel it presented on the screen. I would just like to put a quick disclaimer here: I am 67 and a long time fan from the original broadcast days, and I do still have some standards in what I watch. 

 My first shock was of Holly Hunter as the captain. She was absolutely grotesque, looking like she was chewing a wasp half of the time, slouching about in the captain's seat like she was a bored golden retriever, not the most senior person on the ship, with not a vertebrae to her name, certainly not when the pirate showed up in episode 1. 

What life skills and preparation was she supposed to have been through to warrant her being given the honoured rank of captain?  The next shock, which was even worse to swallow, she had no shoes or socks on her feet??? The number of times that any fleet of the line ship can expect to be attacked and semi - blown up must be in triple figures at least; her feet will have a permanent speed dial repair spot in the med bay, with glass and crud scars all over them.

         She could have been cast as the ship's counsellor, tucked away in a corner somewhere, to be brought out when the big people were a bit busy; that situation could have worked, not brilliantly, but a reasonable fit. 

                The script for the first episode sounded like a disaster waiting to happen. Why were there no seasoned personnel on board their flagship vessel on its maiden voyage, apart from an engineer and a hologram medic? Were there no fighter escort shuttles? Did the Klingon just throw flowers at the pirate instead of a knife at his head? They wasted a perfectly good battle in the first episode, presumably to keep the oldies interested. Guess what, it did not work one bit. It did show us how incompetent the idea was, though.

 The rest of the aliens tagging along looked positively cartoonish and flat, with no personality. Someone else mentioned in a previous YouTube comment, "that a hippy Klingon" would not have reached his teens; he would have been tossed out the nearest airlock, because there would have been no honour in actually bothering to stab him and put him out of his misery. One blimpy character was cut and pasted right from the Thing in the Fantastic Four film. Another cheap laugh at the fans' expense. The brainless cadet who swallowed her com badge would have been sent home on the nearest cargo scow, but I thought she was supposed to be photonic? (A hologram to you and me.) Please just turn her off and save power.

The blue half-Jem Hadar-half Klingon woman reminded me of a pufferfish in panic mode. I'll bet they had a hoot in makeup and wardrobe. I will bet money that we can look forward to lots more inter-species romance coming up, (Update - I was right, actual bonking in episode 6), yaaay, or in my case, puking up. I thought they would have had enough of that in ST Discovery. Yes, I know it goes on, and I do have friends who are of fluid gender, but they don't rub your nose in the fact all the time. Considering that these beings are supposed to be the brightest and the best the 32nd century has to offer the galaxy, what are the worst like?.

 What was in the entrance exam, 1+1=  (calculators allowed, if they know how to operate one). 

I ask myself, where is the Borg when you need them most? At least the collective was smart. To paraphrase that wise man, John Cleese, "I would not trust any of these students to sit the right way on a lavatory".

I hear that they spent between $6 - 10 million per episode. On what, certainly not on the script. The uniforms were acceptable, but I was not impressed with the academy ship itself or the bridge design. Where were the quality control checks in all of this? Why did Richard Picardo not speak out? Maybe he did quietly and was ignored. Was he so pleased to be back in the show that he did not want it to be cancelled, he had to ignore what drivel was going on right before his eyes? I dare say that he would have written a better script than this.

I hear that the studio did not bother getting in touch with the cast in person to confirm that the second series had been photon torpedoed, unless that was fake news going around (it was, but after season two, all bets are off.). Supposedly. Holly Hunter grew a spine, marched into the boardroom, and gave them both barrels. If there had been better scenes like that in the show, they would not have had to cancel it. 

One quote was mentioned at the show premiere by a cast member was, "It's not your parents' Star Trek", they are so right. more's the pity. Another cast member asked us for patience; someone who could obviously read the signs, but they are not going to get it.Speaking of the cast, many posters say they look in their mid 20's to 30,  not their teens. 

That venerable fountain of knowledge, which is YouTube, has lit up once more, Hollywood Studios, please make a note in big red ink, if you ignore the fans once again in the march to milk the Star Trek franchise, you get everything coming to you in the way of rotten apples and other assorted-sized veggies.

 I don't know who will carry the can for this dross, if anyone, but the studio needs to go right back to the drawing board and have a long, hard think. They can call it a dream of one of the cadets or more like a nightmare. As it stands, to be honest, this one looks like a transporter malfunction.

 According to the titles of some of the other reviews on YouTube, episodes two to six actually made it worse, so I did a rewrite on here. Hint, hint.  At this rate, I can't see the crew doing many ST Autographica conventions around the world, not if they want to come away with all of their hair intact, anyway.

01.02.2026.

Is this the last nail in the coffin of Star Trek? I certainly hope not, as I have grown up with it and it has been a thread weaving its way through my life, and I hope that it would continue to do so as I go into my twilight years. It does not deserve to go out of existence in this way. Keeping the younger generation engaged is fine, but we were here first and deserve consideration for the readies we have pumped into their bank accounts, roughly $11US billion into the studio coffers over the decades. Do they care about the fans' wishes? It looks doubtful, but we hope to be surprised.

02.02.2026

Since I desperately needed a Star Trek fix of some sort and the Academy was definitely not coming up with the goods, I have ordered Picard season three, a bit late, I know, but it was always sold out at the shop when I tried to get it before. I hope it is a good choice. Fingers crossed.

03.02.2026

According to YouTube sources, they are roughly basing this series format on Harry Potter, which was a great blockbuster franchise. The problem is that the scriptwriters did not stick to it closely enough. There is no learning or character progression involved, apart from "I will it, so let it be". There are no personal challenges to be overcome, apart from a debate and a bit of other stuff at the end.

(Spoiler Alert - I know, it is already so spoiled.) Jay-dee's parents consist of two male Klingons who are married to one female - NAA, NO WAY, NO HOW!!  They would have preferred their race to go extinct rather than lose its honour like that! No continuity with the past whatsoever.  Every other Klingon actor who has ever been on the show would have been throwing their Bat'leth at the tv screen in utter disgust and revulsion at that moment (Cue Worf). This is the first time I am glad I do not have a monster sized tv in my home.

YouTuber "Mr H Reviews" (C) Copyright 2026 said that they were being beaten in the ratings by old shows of South Park and SpongeBob Square Pants!! Chew on that, Paramount!

More news in - Paramount have deleted their free first episode showing on YouTube. This seems like the show is having the same effect as a warp core breach; get rid of it now. They are running about like headless chickens, with no idea how to fix the situation. Holly Hunter has gone quiet on the matter instead of trying to support the show. We can only wonder what went on behind the scenes.

                      How much input did Holly have in her character? They usually have some ideas and leeway talking to the wr? Did she try to make it better, and the directors stomped on her, or was she up for it all along?  How much research had she done regarding the previous series shows? You can forgive the kids not having watched it much, but if you're going to be in a show that is as big as this one, don't you at least do SOME homework? Apparently, they flunked that part, too?

I hear that there is actually a second series already in the can. They must have shot them side by side. Not the first time that this has been done. The dilemma now is whether to air it or not. I have actually found a YouTuber who is enjoying the series. So the outlook may not be pitch black of space for the series. If the younger fanbase rally round the show, they may continue with it. The few youngsters who I have asked so far in the UK do not watch it at all.

At the end of the day, you cannot blame the actors for the show and its lack of quality and depth; it is the higher-ups in the organisation that are at fault. The only thing they achieved was in pushing the woke agenda, right off a cliff.

7 Feb 2026

I said in an earlier rendition of this post, "Kurtzman should be drummed out of the industry so that he cannot cause any more damage to the hearts and minds of his audience." I am still of that opinion. The question I have now is "What went wrong, considering his earlier work in Picard season 2 and at least disk one and two of season 3?" (It arrived today, Yaaay the cast). Kurtzman knew the Cannon and the deep feeling of the fans towards the brand. Was it not up to him at all, and he had to tow the new policy of Leftist Mega Woke or was it his decision to make? Whatever the cause, it or they must not be allowed free rein to do it again.

            I now hear tell of new owners coming in during the shooting, and that they may steer the course of the show towards the centre. That may be what the comment about "Patience" was about by one of the cast. As I say, it will be too late to do any good, it is scarred for life.

13 Feb 2026 - One of the writers was heard to say that they did not care about "Cannon", yes, that is evident, it shows in the garbage that you produced, episode after episode. This will be a permanent stain on their writing career. In fairness, I will point out that one YouTube reviewer gave episode six a "7 out of 10" for the Pirate storyline, but went on to say that it was still unwatchable for other reasons.

Yours, horrified beyond expression,

Ivor Cogdell

P.S.I think that this must be my longest review on any topic in the life of this blog, which shows how disgusted I and very many others in the fanbase are. 

Thoughts On - An Earth.org Special Message - Donald Trump, One Year On

 Hi Everybody,

                        I hope that this is not classed as copyright infringement, as it is not meant to be. I received the email from Earth.Org and thought it was so important that I decided to add it to my website in full as I received it. I hope that the source is shown in full at the end.

From Earth.org

Welcome back, readers. A year ago today, climate denier Donald Trump was sworn in at the 47th President of the United States. In this special edition of our newsletter, we look at how the Trump administration has reversed decades of progress on climate, and what this means for the US and the rest of the world.

ONE YEAR OF TRUMP

How the US reversed climate progress, at home and abroad 2025 was a pivotal year for US climate policy. Since assuming office for his second term, Donald Trump has taken sweeping actions to reverse America’s environmental agenda and withdraw from international commitments. These moves have fundamentally altered the nation’s role in the global fight against climate change, a crisis the President has dismissed as a “con job”. Unleashing fossil fuels A long-time defender of planet-warming fossil fuels, Trump’s focus has been on strengthening ties with the industry in spite of the countless climate commitments the US has made at home and on an international level. From a former fracking executive taking the reins of the Energy Department to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) packed with political appointees who formerly lobbied for the chemical and fossil fuel sectors, Trump has surrounded himself with the right people to execute his anti-climate agenda. On day one, Trump declared a “national energy emergency”. It came despite the fact that the US had hit record production levels under the previous administration and was currently producing more oil than any other nation in history. The move allowed the administration to reverse many of the Biden-era environmental regulations and open up more areas to oil and gas exploration. And that is exactly what followed. The Trump administration has moved to maximize oil and gas development in Alaska, reversing Biden-era restrictions on the 23-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and reopening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling. He is now looking to take his “drill, baby drill” mantra abroad, having recently unveiled plans to extend his reach to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. In April, Trump signed a series of executive orders aimed at reviving a dying coal industry by expediting leases and streamlining permitting for coal mining on federal land. This contradicts global trends, with nearly 60 countries having drastically scaled back their plans for building coal-fired power plants since the Paris Agreement was passed in 2015. The US itself retired or announced the retirement of hundreds of coal plants. Aside from being the dirtiest type of fossil fuel, coal is widely seen as an uncompetitive and unsuitable energy source, costing significantly more than renewables like wind and solar. Trump has frequently targeted those renewable sources, missing no opportunity to spread falsities about clean energy. He has called wind turbines “pathetic and so bad” and falsely claimed they are killing people. He also frequently asserts that wind is “the most expensive form of energy,” ignoring data showing it is significantly cheaper than fossil fuels in both manufacturing and electricity generation.

A group of coal miners clap as President Donald Trump signs executive orders on the coal industry on April 8, 2025. Photo: The White House/Flickr.

As part of the plan to prioritize fossil fuels, the administration has blocked billions of dollars in funding earmarked for clean energy projects across the US. Several lawsuits were filed in response; many are still ongoing, leaving affected organizations in limbo and unable to carry out their work. The Trump administration is also going after state laws addressing polluting forms of energy, like California’s cap-and-trade system and climate superfund laws in New York and Vermont. Lowering accountability for polluters Trump has also rolled back dozens of environmental rules, including national air quality standards for particulate matter, limits on wastewater discharges for oil and gas extraction facilities, and regulations on power plant emissions and vehicle pollution. He also took aim at electric vehicles, halting the distribution of unspent government funds intended for vehicle charging stations under the $5-billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund. This month, the EPA announced it will no longer calculate the monetary benefits of air pollution rules in terms of healthcare savings or avoided deaths. Going forward, rules for fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, and ozone will exclusively prioritize the costs to industry. In a statement reported by media, the agency said it “absolutely remains committed to our core mission of protecting human health and the environment” but “will not be monetizing the impacts at this time.” The decision has drawn sharp criticism from environmental and public health advocates. “The idea that EPA would not consider the public health benefits of its regulations is anathema to the very mission of EPA,” said Richard Revesz, the Faculty Director of the Institute for Policy Integrity at New York University School of Law.

Donate to Earth.Org

Suppressing climate research Trump’s aggressive rollback of climate action took direct aim at science. In the past year, his administration has erased scientific data and slashed billions of dollars in funding for climate research. In the early months of 2025, tens of thousands of federal workers were abruptly fired from agencies such as the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the EPA, the National Science Foundation, the Forest Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Many of these employees were engaged in vital climate-related research and conservation work, as well as providing essential services like weather forecasting and wildlife monitoring. The administration has also signaled intentions to dismantle key research centers, including the Colorado-headquartered National Center for Atmospheric Research, which provides critical data on air quality, tools to improve aircraft safety, wildfire mitigation strategies, and forecasts for droughts, extreme precipitation events, and tropical cyclones. Another target is NOAA’s Mauna Loa Observatory, which has been collecting essential data on climate change, atmospheric composition, and air quality since the 1950s.

The Mesa Laboratory of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. Photo: Wally Gobetz/Flickr.

The White House also terminated funding for the US Global Change Research Program, the federal body responsible for producing the nation’s most comprehensive climate reports on the impacts of rising global temperatures. It also shut down climate.gov, NOAA’s primary public-facing website for climate science, and axed NOAA’s Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disaster dataset, which has provided vital information for first responders, the insurance industry, and researchers to plan recovery efforts and assess weather-related risks. The cuts extended to international climate efforts as well. In February, the administration pulled the US out of global discussions regarding an upcoming global climate change assessment carried out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). President Trump also ordered federal scientists at NOAA and the US Global Change Research Program to cease all work related to IPCC climate assessments, effectively ending US involvement in one of the world’s most critical climate evaluation efforts. Retreating from the international stage Earlier this month, the White House announced that the US will withdraw from 66 international bodies, conventions and treaties, including key climate treaties, deemed “contrary to the interests” of the country. The list comprises 35 non-United Nations organizations and 31 United Nations organizations – many of which conduct pivotal work on climate change. These include the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world’s most authoritative scientific body on climate change, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the global authority providing technical and policy advice to drive conservation, and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UFCCC), the primary global treaty for coordinating international climate action. The announcement drew strong criticism from experts, world leaders, and the scientific community, who warned that the US will be left behind as the rest of the world embraces the energy transition, shifting away from costly and polluting fossil fuels to cleaner and more affordable renewables like solar and wind. The decision was just the latest in a series of moves aimed at retreating the US from international climate commitments. Over the past year, the US has exited the Paris Agreement, withdrawn from the board of the Loss and Damage fund for developing nations, and abandoned the Just Energy Transition Partnership, a flagship global climate financing program by rich nations to help developing countries quit coal. It also derailed international negotiations for a global shipping carbon levy and actively obstructed talks for a global plastic treaty, which ultimately collapsed in August after the US and several petrostate allies opposed mandatory caps on plastic production. For the first time, the US also did not send any representatives to the COP30 climate talks in Brazil.

World leaders and delegates attend the opening session of the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) in the Brazilian Amazon. Photo: UN Climate Change/Zô Guimarães via Flickr.

Domestic climate financing efforts have also been gutted. Contributions to the Biden-era US International Climate Finance Plan, which leveraged multilateral and bilateral institutions to assist developing countries with climate mitigation and adaptation, were abruptly halted. Similarly, $4 billion in US pledges to the Green Climate Fund – the world’s largest fund dedicated to global climate action –were rescinded under Trump’s administration, further weakening the nation’s role in addressing the global climate crisis. Dismantling environmental justice programs The Trump administration dismantled federal environmental justice initiatives, prioritizing economic deregulation over investments aimed at addressing pollution and inequality in underserved communities. One of its most significant actions was the termination of the Justice40 program. The program was designed to direct federal investments to disadvantaged communities disproportionately affected by pollution hazards, wastewater, climate change impacts, and high energy costs. The EPA also shut down all 10 of its regional environmental justice offices, which had been instrumental in addressing pollution issues in low-income, historically marginalized, and disadvantaged communities. Experts warned that the move would leave “those living, working, studying, and playing near polluting industries, smog-forming traffic, and contaminated waterways and soil, with little support from the very agency they rely on to enforce protective laws.” The administration also engaged in a widespread campaign to remove, edit, and restrict access to critical data tools used for monitoring environmental, climate, public health, and demographic information. These tools were essential for identifying and addressing the needs of marginalized communities, leaving advocates and researchers with limited resources to track and address systemic environmental injustices. Rolling back animal and nature protections The Trump administration moved to roll back key protections under the Endangered Species Act, which has safeguarded plants and animals since the 1970s and is credited with preventing the extinction of hundreds of species. One significant change was the elimination of the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s “blanket rule”, which automatically provided protections for species listed as “threatened.” The law has been credited with preventing the extinction of hundreds of species. Trump also ordered the removal of key protections to allow commercial fishing in parts of the nearly 500,000-square-mile Pacific Island Heritage National Marine Monument, located about 750 miles west of Hawaii. Home to protected and endangered species, including turtles, whales and Hawaiian monk seals, the area has long been off-limits due to its ecological significance. The administration argued that marine protected areas put American commercial fishermen at a disadvantage, despite evidence from studies showing that these areas benefit both marine ecosystems and fishermen by allowing overfished species to recover.

US President Donald Trump signs a proclamation to unleash American commercial fishing in the Pacific Ocean, on April 17, 2025, in the Oval Office. Photo: The White House/Flickr.

It wasn’t a good year for national parks either. Since Trump took office, the National Park Service has lost 24% percent of its permanent workforce. According to the New York Times, over 90 national parks reported problems between April and July, stemming from staff cuts and a hiring freeze that affected roles ranging from cleaners to rangers and visitor center staff. The cuts undermined essential park services and maintenance during a time of increased visitation. In June, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced plans to rescind a Clinton-era rule that prohibits road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvest on nearly 59 million acres of the National Forest System. It followed a March executive order and a memo issued by Rollins in April, which laid the groundwork for a major increase in industrial logging across federal forests. Green groups warned that timber and mining activities would pollute air and drinking water and strip away essential habitats for wildlife such as California condors, grizzly bears and wolves of the Yellowstone area, native salmon and trout in the Pacific Northwest, migratory songbirds of the Appalachian hardwoods. Written by Martina Igini

Copyright (C) Martina Igini of Earth.org. 

Thank you for your time and patience for reading this. I do not know if the links in the document work, as they were just cut and pasted from the email. Please contact Earth.org. for any clarification.

Ivor Cogdell

THoughts On - Obsidian Notes for RPG's and Wargaming - Updated.

 Hi  Everyone,

                      Today's topic is about a free PC, Mobile and probably LINUX app called "Obsidian". You may have seen it on YouTube before, as it has been out for a while. It is used for taking notes on both mobile devices and PCs.

 It has a wide range of core functions and community add-ins (some paid for), which allow you to customise the setup to suit your needs. All of your notes are stored on your own device in a folder called a vault, in plain text "Markdown" format. All text editors should be able to read the .md format, so if Obsidian goes kaput, you still have all of your data in a readable format on your local hard drive, which would not be the case in many other note taking apps. 

 Obsidian supports Python programming with editors, cut and paste snippets of code where they are needed, and the code font themes can be changed to suit your wishes.

                       Inside of your text, you can link notes together with [[note name 1]],  [[Author List]], [Daily notes]] etc. Just press on the highlighted entry to go to that note. You can change the colours of the tabs and highlights.  Headings, highlights, bullet points, strike-through, auto-numbered lists, bold, and italic are all easy to implement as you type.  Tags can be used for sorting content. Tables can be added with ease. Graphics are available. The latest development to come online is the database. I have not delved into that system yet.

There are plenty of YouTube tutorials showing how particular features and functions are set up. YouTubers have tailored the Obsidian system plug-ins for their needs, including Step-by-step walk-throughs. 

For instance, Mike of "Sly Flourish's "Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master" books and blog, uses Obsidian for his weekly tips and Adventure planning broadcasts. He has converted all of his paid-for "Patreon materials" to markdown format, including hyperlink indexing of books, so that they can seamlessly be ported over into your "Vault" and be used straight away.

You can use them for world-building notes, linking plot ideas and baddies together. Wargame Club scores and games that individuals play. GM information can be amended on the fly.  It is ideal for recording inspiration when you are on the move, swapping files from mobile to PC. Planning strategies, recording troop movements. journaling results to give to players. 

The Obsidian developer community are frequently adding new functionality to the app, giving it great expansion potential. Mind mapping visuals are also included. 

I am just a novice at using it, but I am sure you will find it of great use in your gaming and wider hobbies.

Regards,

Ivor Cogdell

Red Alert Board 5 - January - February

 Red Alert Board 5 - 2026

 Hi all,

            This is where I will post my wild weather reports and general climate change information that I hear about for 2026. Sources are shown where known.

6 Jan 2026 - Confirmation that 2025 was the hottest and sunniest year for the UK since records began in 1884. Average temperatures reached 10.09 °C. 

Source: Government figures.

10. Jan - Folkestone, UK - The concrete seafront promenade was destroyed in a storm when large waves washed away its foundations and scattered them along the beachfront.

Source: YouTube.

23 Jan - Sicily, Italy, was hit by a large wave, causing flooding in the town, due to a storm surge. A train was derailed, and beach roads were washed away.

Source: YouTube.

24 Jan - Please see my Thoughts On the Earth.org special email regarding Donald Trump's first year.

https://tearsfromthefront.blogspot.com/2026/01/thoughts-on-earthorg-special-message.html

Written by Earth.org Editor-In-Chief,  Martina Igini. Copyright (C) 2026.

This catalogue, in part, lists some of the things he has done while in office.

Please contact Ms Igini at Earth.org for any further information.

Source: Earth.org Copyright (C) 2026.

26 Jan - Miskeny, Sicily, A mountainside plateau was cut off when part of its top gave way, burying the only road leading to the summit, causing a mile-long landslide. It dropped about 150 feet into the lower area. The sandy ground was saturated after the storm passed through the area. Over 500 residents have had to be evacuated. There are fears of more landslides to come on the plateau.

Source: YouTube.

There was extreme heat in Australia, rising to 49 °C in some parts.  Elizabeth reached 45.6 °C, 48.6 °C at Wudinna, and 49.5 °C at Ceduna. There is a danger of fire breaking out in the very dry bush. Overnight temperatures average 30 °C. It has been the hottest day in Australia since 1999. They applied special tactics at the zoo to help keep the animals cool; ice blocks and showers were used in their cages.

Source: 9 News Australia.

27 Jan - Cairhbridge, County Down, N.Ireland - 10 cm of rain fell in 24 hours, with 81 mph winds. In Fermannah, one woman was put in the hospital when a tree fell on her car. Power cuts in Belfast, Flooding in Dublin. More is expected in the coming days. Flooding also occurred in the Somerset levels and Cornwall.

28 Jan - White Barrow, Dartmoor, UK 105 mm of rain fell due to Storm Chandra. A lorry driver was swept awayin the flood and died. 5 giant 1000 litre per second pumps have been put into action to remove water from the moors.

31 Jan - Louisiana, USA - There was a snowstorm on Interstate 40, the biggest in years. Power lines are down, and 125,000 people are without power.

5 Feb - Perthshire in Scotland has had the wettest January in the last 100 years, four times the normal amount of rain drenched the population. (IC - "They must have developed webbed feet by now").

Source: YouTube - The Scottish  Detectorist.

Piedmont, Italyhas ha large snowfalls, 4 feet in Monte Servierno, among the upper slopes. There is a Grade 4 avalanche warning; it is -22 °C. and 70 km/h winds are blowing. Alpine rescue issued a red alert. 1.5 metres of snow have fallen in just 3 days.

14 Feb - Lake Powell, Colorado, USA - It has been suffering a catastrophic drought for the last 20 years. It's lost a depth of 36 feet over 2024. The loss is accelerating. 142 above "Dead Pool" level, where the Colorado River does not flow at all. 10% of all vegetables are at risk. Upper basin states and lower basin states are suing each other. Can it be reversed through wet years? A climate disaster that keeps getting worse. Plans to evacuate cities are now being drawn up.

The river Trent in Leicestershire has overflowed its banks in places; more rain and snow is forecast.

Cosensa, Italy - An embankment on the Crati river gave way and is flooding the area, including housing and agriculture. A road has been completely destroyed. The river rose over 40 cm in an hour. 10 people have been cut off and will need to be rescued.

More to come.

Regards,

Ivor Cogdell Copyright (c) 2026 to Webpage, individual sources are shown, where known.

Thoughts On - Trump Attacks Venezuela. Updated.

 Hi Everybody,                                                                                                           3rd - 4th Jan 2026

                      We hear news from the other side of the pond that President Trump has just had a tizzy and commanded US forces to attack Venezuela, abducting the sitting president on the justification that they are moving drugs to the USA, which they have been doing. But the US has been blowing the boats out of the water, against International law, stop and seize, not kill them. They also swiped a couple of Venezuelan oil tankers, in part reparation for what the government is owed in the past, but I thought that was called by it's other name. piracy on the high seas?

 The Venezuelan President and first lady had been flown to New York and are being kept under guard.

                      Right off the bat. I would like to say I am not an expert in this matter, and this is only my humble opinion, whether the actions that they have taken are internationally legal or not. Could the armed forces be charged with unlawfully kidnapping a foreign head of state? Did I hear that they had been planning this move for months? So much for the Nobel Peace Prize.

                    What it will allow him to say now is that Venezuelan immigrants now pose a threat to the USA, so ICE can pick them off the streets as they please, hopefully for them with no comeback, whether that is true or not is debatable.

                    His pal "Big Bad Vlad" must be laughing his socks off right about now. There will be no more supposedly "moral high ground" for Donald to perch on when he calls him next. Not that it was making any difference. I would love to read a transcript of a few of those calls, but I don't suppose they keep them at the White House, otherwise known as the fun factory.

I am awaiting more news. Here we go - 

HEADLINE: Trump to run the country until transition.

Two points regarding that: Firstly, he cannot run the government that he has now competently, let alone take on another one that will actively be working against him. Secondly, once he does have power in there, that just means his cronies can move in and asset-strip the place as he has done with the USA, while no one is looking, or maybe he is past caring if they see or not.

Next in his sights, we hear it may be Canada or possibly Greenland. More of his allies to duff up. If you read it in a novel, you would think the plot was far-fetched. But here we are. Strange days indeed. He is totally off his trolley, but no one seems to care. Is this the beginning of the end for the USA?

Good luck, everybody,

Ivor Cogdell