Lee Bloomcamp

Recently retired entomologist, Ornamental Manager for Syngenta. Wife and mother, plant and animal lover, outdoor person.

[Lee Bloomcamp @LBloomcamp]

@RachelNutter2 It is missing a pair of legs

[FactPost @factpostnews]

The Trump administration has scrapped all protections for a critically endangered whale species known as the Rice's whale, allowing oil and gas drilling in their natural habitat.

The regulatory meeting dooming the 50 remaining Rice's whales lasted just 15 minutes.

[🏔️🌸🪻Rachel Nutter 🪻🌸🏔️ @RachelNutter2]

I’m on the light rail and there’s a guy with a guitar playing made up songs to a random little girl and he’s now talking about how we need a new Mr. Rogers and he’s so sad that the like 20 year olds sitting in front of me don’t know who he is. I love Seattle

[Katherine Clark @TeamKClark]

Gas just hit $4.55 a gallon.

And this is what he’s focused on.

[Neil deGrasse Tyson @neiltyson]

If current cuts to the Federal Science Budget proposed by the White House are approved by Congress, that will far-and-away be the largest cut to science since the United States began funding it.

Republicans & Democrats alike know there’s no surer path to Making America Not-Great

[Ben Meiselas @meiselasb]

The actual post

[Lee Bloomcamp @LBloomcamp]

@HQNewsNow We grow lots of mangoes in Florida’

[U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service @USFWS]

It's Mag Pi Day.

No further questions at this time.

📷Black-billed magpie at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge by USFWS

[Entomological Society of America @EntsocAmerica]

A new study shows brown recluse spiders and relatives are in fact scarce, reluctant to bite, and mostly unlikely to cause the severe harm often attributed to them. https://t.co/cgxZQefHP7

[anna 🏹 @myelessar]

this is what i see when someone says “i asked chat GPT”

[Jim Cantore @JimCantore]

Just seeing this output of gulf effect snow showers Saturday evening and Sunday morning over west central Florida from the pending Arctic blast is just nuts. A first for the HRRR.

Thanks for this loop @HeatherZWeather

[Julian Mille☈ @ATLAreaWx]

This is not Jamaica, this is France, specifically the territory of Mayotte. It was largely devastated by Cyclone Chido in December. I haven't heard much discourse, myself included, on the storm & its impacts. It's a shame that's not much media attention on this.

[Meriwether Farms @MeriwetherFarms]

Dear @POTUS Trump,

We love you and support you— but your suggestion to buy beef from Argentina to stabilize beef prices would be an absolute betrayal to the American cattle rancher.

We understand there are larger economic and geopolitical dynamics at play, including countering CCP influence in countries in our hemisphere. But the practice of solving problems “over there” before solving problems here on our soil is what contributed to the downfall of our country: Americans always come last.

We understand beef prices are high, and we admire your concern for all Americans, but this is not the fault of the American producer. This is the fault of politicians who have allowed BRICS-aligned entities to dominate the meat industry, that participate in price fixing and who also continually lie to their consumers.

Washington for decades has facilitated the squeezing of our own ranchers while allowing these entities to flood the market with cheaper, lower-quality imports -- and the American people don't even know these products are foreign because they are allowed to be marked as “Product of the USA”.

On top of all this—there is only chaos coming from the Department of Agriculture. There is no true guidance, mixed messaging, and a copious amount of photo ops. There is no one to trust over there that truly understands the issues and isn’t bought out by or aligned with Big Industries.

The American cattle rancher is one of the last symbols of independence we have in the nation—but the continued manipulation and betrayal by the very people who claim to support them, needs to end immediately.

While only representing 1% of the population, the work is tireless, daily, in poor conditions, with low margins, without thanks— all in order to keep this country fed. We would be a failed nation if we continue to betray the very people who put food on the table for us.

There are so many voices on the outside that support you and want to see you succeed. Maybe it’s time to start listening to them. Your team knows how to get in touch with us.

Sincerely,
Meriwether Farms

[Lee Bloomcamp @LBloomcamp]

@RachelNutter2 Don’t you need rain?

[Lee Bloomcamp @LBloomcamp]

@LakotaMan1 Yes

[Lee Bloomcamp @LBloomcamp]

@RachelNutter2 @Kenny_Oates Sounds about right

[DrDemetre @dr_demetre]

My resignation letter from CDC.

Dear Dr. Houry,

I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business.   I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested.

This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough.

While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people.  This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles.

I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health.  The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people.   The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership.  This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors.  Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people.

It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC.  The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense.  Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function.  Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC.

The recent term of reference for the COVID vaccine work group created by this ACIP puts people of dubious intent and more dubious scientific rigor in charge of recommending vaccine policy to a director hamstrung and sidelined by an authoritarian leader.   Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults.  Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc.

I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again.  I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season.  Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.”  We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary.  I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us.  Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources.  At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him.  To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information.

The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer.  I believe in nutrition and exercise.  I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability.  Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun.

The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning.  My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so.  I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud.   I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur.  I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed.

For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics.  I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision.

Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically.

Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution.  If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States.

Sincerely,

Demetre C. Daskalakis MD MPH (he/his/him)

[🏔️🌸🪻Rachel Nutter 🪻🌸🏔️ @RachelNutter2]

Here's some various pics of damage in the area around them, including a downed cell tower

[🏔️🌸🪻Rachel Nutter 🪻🌸🏔️ @RachelNutter2]

Here are some before and after photos of their house - most of the roof tiles were blown off, and a lot of their furniture from the living room ended up in the backyard where the porch was

[🏔️🌸🪻Rachel Nutter 🪻🌸🏔️ @RachelNutter2]

33 years ago Hurricane Andrew made landfall as a category 5 hurricane with 165mph sustained winds. My parents went through the northern eyewall ~3mi NE of the tower that recorded the 177mph gust. My dad scanned a ton of photos they took after the storm, so I thought I'd share!