Simon Chapman AO

Simon Chapman AO

@simonchapman.bsky.social

Emeritus Prof. Public Health Former Australian Skeptic/Year. Author, blogger. Bovine excrement detective. EV driver, doting 5x grandpa, Sydney Swans tragic. https://simonchapman6.com/about/

3.7K followers499 following2.1K posts

Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

Some close games in the 2026 Women's Rugby League World Cup! I played fullback in Bathurst's legendary All Saints College Senior Rugby 2nds in 1968 and were just beaten 128-0 by St Stanislaus As. It made ABC Sydney news that night as last "can you believe it" item. Headmaster said a disgrace.

Simon Chapman AO reposted

US News Now - World’s leading Liberal Voice
@democracyblue.bsky.social

Donald Trump still has the approval of 38% of Americans. Seriously? After the broken promises, rising costs, endless chaos, attacks on democratic institutions, and increasingly bizarre behavior, one question remains: WHAT EXACTLY ARE THESE PEOPLE SEEING THAT THE REST OF US ARE MISSING?

Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

After many wonderful middle eastern coffee experiences, I now routinely add the seeds from two cardamon pods into the espresso portafiller before adding the coffee. But here's the thing ... is it cardamoN or cardamoM?

Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

One of ours is teaching his 4yo son recycling & saving via bottle/can refund collection. Accidentally transferred to a school, requested re-transfer & got this beautiful response. Well done Cammeray Public School!

Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

ACT gvt stalls on action against illegal tobacco shops to protect "human rights". In other news, thieves plead to keep loot, drunk drivers ask for clemency, Taliban nominates itself for women's welfare protection award. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10...

abc.net.auACT criticised for considering 'human rights' in illegal tobacco tradeThe territory is facing the prospect of being the last jurisdiction in the country to introduce laws to shut down illegal vape and cigarette shops.

Simon Chapman AO reposted

Mark Jacob
@markjacob.bsky.social

Trump wants us to pretend he’s on the ballot, but in fact Putin is. If you vote for the people with R after their name, you’re voting for the Russians.

cnn.comTrump waives Russia-related sanctions before they even kick in as Ukraine ties worsen | CNNUS President Donald Trump has waived a further slate of sanctions related to Russian fossil fuel sales, days before they were to take effect under a bill he signed into law last month.
Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

I had a school holiday job in a department store hardware section. A guy there asked me to go down to stores and get a "long weight". I waited, and waited and waited. And was told to go home when I eventually got back the hardware dept.

Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

Sacked White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia (5 days in the job) should ask ex UK 45 day Prime Minister Liz Truss to go on the road with her as support act in a political comedy side-splitter.

Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

Another searing examination by Bath University's @tcrgbath.bsky.social of BAT's unctuous posturing about illegal tobacco. Pas de surprise, BAT's objective is ensure its own illicitly traded products continue to be maximally profitable. tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/earl... 🤮

tobaccocontrol.bmj.com‘To increase the available profit pool’ and ‘get a seat at the table’: using internal documents to understand British American Tobacco’s anti-illicit tobacco programmeBackground Following overwhelming evidence of transnational tobacco company (TTC) complicity in smuggling, TTCs claimed to be working actively to address illicit tobacco trade (ITT), establishing inte...

Simon Chapman AO reposted

LA Blue Dot in GA 🌊🐸
@namwella1961.bsky.social

Raw Story: “It’s very significant that the raid against Ilhan Omar was conducted by Homeland Security. That means the warrant is specifically looking for evidence that she committed immigration fraud so they can denaturalize and deport her.” Now do Melania. #ProudBlue #Pinks #SheShed

Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

Any bets that #Trump won't sell ringside tickets to the execution, and auction the clothing to the highest bidder. Surely highly likely? Nothing differentiates him from Taliban who do public stonings.

Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

Queensland is smashing illegal tobacco The state’s enforcement resourcing has been paired with strong long-term closure powers, landlord enforcement powers, and ‘blitz operations’, targeting 100% of stores in an area at once, all driving consumers back to the legal market. Other states take note

Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

BigTobacco was the major supplier of tobacco to global illicit trade in the 60s-80s while wearing the white hat about how terrible it all was. But this new paper shows BAT was up to its elbows in it until at least 2014. tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/earl...

tobaccocontrol.bmj.comBritish American Tobacco’s continued involvement in illicit tobacco tradeBackground Internal documents released in the 1990s and 2000s demonstrated that illicit tobacco trade (ITT) was central to transnational tobacco companies’ (TTCs) business strategies between the 1960 ...
Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

Hanson wants pepper spray legalised presumably as deterrent in sexual assault. But what a gift to offenders. The same crazy logic used by gun nuts in the USA ... more guns, less gun crime. We all know how that works over there. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

theguardian.comOne Nation vows to abolish First Nations treaty and legalise pepper spray at Victorian campaign launchCandidate Mark Nicholson said former premiers Daniel Andrews and Jacinta Allan would be ‘in prison by Christmas’ if One Nation won the election
Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

We've been driving #Tasmania in our EV for a week. Only 2 Tesla superchargers in the state & encountered 2 out-of- order chargers + 1 listed but non-existant. Also 1 remote hotel which refused to let us use a guests-only charger even when we offered payment. Quite hairy range-anxiety experiences

Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

Hearing that tests on Oz illegal cigs have found #pesticide residue -- news to break NewsCorp soon. Guessing they did not test those nice clean chemical free legal cigs as well ... www.tobaccoinaustralia.org.au/chapter-12-t...

tobaccoinaustralia.org.au12.3 Chemicals and contaminants in tobacco products - Tobacco in AustraliaMany people who use tobacco products may be surprised to learn that they contain thousands of chemicals. The processing of tobacco plants and manufacture of cigarettes and other tobacco products involves multiple steps in which chemicals are added or formed anew in chemical reactions. Raw tobacco plants themselves contain naturally occurring chemicals, some of which are highly toxic. The tobacco products made from these plants contains thousands of natural and synthetic chemicals, many of which are toxic and are known causes of cancer and other diseases.
Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

I'm always amazed at those who unhestitatingly use "woke" as a self-evident shorthand for everything wrong in their world. The opposite of being woke is being asleep: suckered, ignorant, gullible, non-sceptical. Curious why those us who are woke haven't embraced "asleep" as the obvious retort.

Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

Watching #AFLGradFinal at Cradle Mountain Tas. Ads on @7Sport for small businesses in Mt Isa, Port Lincoln SA, Roma Qld, Katherine NT. How do they explain such "reach" to the advertisers who would be paying top $?

Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

Political psychiatrists now analysing the Liberals' collective death wish as they elect "vote losing machine" Alex Antic as SA state president www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

theguardian.comAlex Antic’s rise in SA Liberals has coincided with a collapse in the party’s vote. Is there further to fall?Election of rightwing senator – once called a ‘vote-losing machine’ – as state president in South Australia takes party further from the centre
Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

NSW Opposition leader Kellie Sloane claims farmers and sporting shooters "not the problem" with guns. Let's look at that argument ... simonchapman6.com/2026/09/21/n...

simonchapman6.comNSW Opposition leader Kellie Sloane claims “farmers and sporting shooters” not risks for committing gun violence.Cartoon: Lindsay Foyle NSW Opposition leader, Kellie Sloane was on the news hustings over the weekend explaining why her party has backtracked and changed its full support for the Labor government’…
Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

Pharmacies stock narcotics; bottle shops expensive taxed alcohol; gun shops, firearms. None of these are (yet) being firebombed/extorted by criminal gangs.There must be critical lessons in the governance of these by regulatory agencies for the tobacco shop firebombing problem.

Simon Chapman AO
@simonchapman.bsky.social

Study finds NZ MPs ignorant about their obligations to protect protect policy from BigTobacco interference. www.scimex.org/newsfeed/nz-... Here's how we try to do it in Australia, although some Coalition MPs ignore it www.health.gov.au/resources/pu... @predwards.bsky.social @janethoek.bsky.social

scimex.orgEXPERT REACTION: NZ falls short on protections against tobacco industrEXPERT REACTION: NZ falls short on protections against tobacco industry lobbying NZ has failed to fully implement World Health Organisation treaty safeguards designed to keep tobacco