Bonnie Taylor-Blake (@btaylorblake) header
Bonnie Taylor-Blake (@btaylorblake) profile picture

Bonnie Taylor-Blake

@btaylorblake

Former neuroscience researcher. Sometimes word sleuth. Modern-folklore enthusiast. No clue how that happened. #BlackLivesMatter #TarHeel

 Chapel Hill, NC, United States
btaylorblake.com/
Joined March 2012
  • Tweets12.4K
  • Following1.7K
  • Followers997
1KMedia
Photo by Bonnie Taylor-Blake (@btaylorblake)Photo by Bonnie Taylor-Blake (@btaylorblake)Photo by Bonnie Taylor-Blake (@btaylorblake)Photo by Bonnie Taylor-Blake (@btaylorblake)Photo by Bonnie Taylor-Blake (@btaylorblake)Photo by Bonnie Taylor-Blake (@btaylorblake)Photo by Bonnie Taylor-Blake (@btaylorblake)Photo by Bonnie Taylor-Blake (@btaylorblake)Photo by Bonnie Taylor-Blake (@btaylorblake)Photo by Bonnie Taylor-Blake (@btaylorblake)
Something new-ish by me about antebellum uses of “tar heel” and how the epithet may have become linked to North Carolinians by ca. 1860. In short, "tar heel" was used for the marginalized poor across the South before the Civil War. btaylorblake.com/2022/04/29/… #TarHeels #GDTBATH
Who Put the “Tar” in “Tar Heels”?: Antebellum uses of the epithet and its application to North...

Who Put the “Tar” in “Tar Heels”?: Antebellum uses of the epithet and its application to North...

“[T]he idea occurs to me that it is no wonder we are called ‘Tar Heels.’” — Lt. William B.A. Lowrance, 4th regiment of the North Carolina Troops, 6 February 1863 Would that Lt. Lowrance come back a…

btaylorblake.com
3
13
4
26
Bonnie Taylor-Blake retweeted
The Redistrict Network (@RedistrictNet) profile picture
The Redistrict Network
@RedistrictNetNov 4
Tim Moore, the man who oversaw the drawing of North Carolina’s 2023 congressional gerrymander as Speaker of the NC House and drew a seat for himself, lost his election for NC-14. amp.newsobserver.com/news/po…
Tim Moore, longest-serving NC House speaker, loses US House reelection bid

Tim Moore, longest-serving NC House speaker, loses US House reelection bid

Rep. Tim Moore, a Republican from Kings Mountain, loses to Democrat Lakesha Womack.

amp.newsobserver.com
416
4,418
374
21,489
227,265
Bonnie Taylor-Blake retweeted
Taniel (@Taniel) profile picture
Taniel
@TanielNov 5
The chair of the NRCC lost reelection due to a new congressional gerrymander that state Republicans drew (with encouragement from national Republicans). Unbridled levels of irony.
Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) profile pictureSeung Min Kim
@seungminkimNov 5
NRCC chair Richard Hudson officially loses --> WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Richard Ojeda wins election to U.S. House in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District.
2
57
458
10,936
Bonnie Taylor-Blake retweeted
It's an Urban Legend (@ULTweets) profile picture
It's an Urban Legend@ULTweets5 Nov 2022
Remember, remember a gruesome urban legend —and one or two true-life incidents — for the 5th of November. A penny for the guy on #GuyFawkesDay #BonfireNight #BonfireNight2022
Image from It's an Urban Legend (@ULTweets)
Image from It's an Urban Legend (@ULTweets)
Image from It's an Urban Legend (@ULTweets)
Image from It's an Urban Legend (@ULTweets)
7
4
Bonnie Taylor-Blake retweeted
Drew Savicki (@DrewSav) profile picture
Drew Savicki
@DrewSavNov 5
Speaking of retirement
Virginia Foxx (@virginiafoxx) profile pictureVirginia Foxx
@virginiafoxx5 Jul 2025
Enjoy retirement.
29
658
3
13,262
147,900
Bonnie Taylor-Blake retweeted
Victor Rivera (@vicfornj) profile picture
Victor Rivera@vicfornjNov 4
YOU GET A DEMOCRAT AND YOU GET A DEMOCRAT AND YOU GET A DEMOCRAT
14
1,209
26
11,649
106,413
Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) profile pictureSeung Min Kim
@seungminkimNov 4
First Dem flip in House --> WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Jamie Ager wins election to U.S. House in North Carolina's 11th Congressional District.
2
102
Bonnie Taylor-Blake retweeted
Taniel (@Taniel) profile picture
Taniel
@TanielNov 4
RESULT: Democrats have won the supreme court election in North Carolina. Justice Anita Earls, a former voting rights lawyer, was facing a challenge from a Republicans who had championed ballot restrictions. Learn about the race here: boltsmag.org/north-carolina-…
They’ve Long Clashed on Voting Rights. Now They’re Facing Off for a Supreme Court Seat.

They’ve Long Clashed on Voting Rights. Now They’re Facing Off for a Supreme Court Seat.

North Carolina Justice Anita Earls, a former voting rights lawyer, and Sarah Stevens, a longtime legislator, have been on opposite sides of election issues for over a decade.

boltsmag.org
3
236
2
991
31,138
Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) profile pictureHugo Lowell
@hugolowellNov 4
Trump and his cabinet officials and political advisers are assembled in the White House East Room at a reception watching the election results come in, per the pool
5
161
Bonnie Taylor-Blake retweeted
Travis Fain (@TravisFain) profile picture
Travis Fain@TravisFainNov 4
Something to watch: No doubt Trump throws R’s under the bus immediately, say they blew, if I was in the ballot blah blah blah. How many stand up for themselves, or their colleagues? How many speak the truth?
2
2
8
1,006
Bonnie Taylor-Blake retweeted
Team Roy Cooper (@TeamCooperNC) profile picture
Team Roy Cooper
@TeamCooperNCNov 4
Mr. November
Image from Team Roy Cooper (@TeamCooperNC)
24
165
7
1,952
16,855
Bonnie Taylor-Blake retweeted
Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) profile picture
Gavin Newsom
@GavinNewsomNov 4
BOOM. LET’S GO @RoyCooperNC!!!
NBC News (@NBCNews) profile pictureNBC News
@NBCNewsNov 4
BREAKING: Democrat Roy Cooper wins U.S. Senate race in North Carolina, NBC News projects. nbcnews.to/3UxNugn
BREAKING: Democrat Roy Cooper wins U.S. Senate race in North Carolina, NBC News projects. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-elections/north-carolina-senate-results

ALT BREAKING: Democrat Roy Cooper wins U.S. Senate race in North Carolina, NBC News projects. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-elections/north-carolina-senate-results

112
449
11
7,862
166,933
NBC News (@NBCNews) profile pictureNBC News
@NBCNewsNov 4
BREAKING: Democrat Roy Cooper wins U.S. Senate race in North Carolina, NBC News projects. nbcnews.to/3UxNugn
BREAKING: Democrat Roy Cooper wins U.S. Senate race in North Carolina, NBC News projects. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-elections/north-carolina-senate-results

ALT BREAKING: Democrat Roy Cooper wins U.S. Senate race in North Carolina, NBC News projects. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-elections/north-carolina-senate-results

5
201
Bonnie Taylor-Blake retweeted
Gerry Cohen (@gercohen) profile picture
Gerry Cohen
@gercohenNov 4
Outside the Wake County Board of Elections office in Raleigh at 7:20 pm a group with guitars and candles has set just up a vigil to pray for election workers and thank them for their service, they told me their motto for today is Every Vote Should Count
Image from Gerry Cohen (@gercohen)
3
8
1
63
1,631
Bonnie Taylor-Blake retweeted
Gerry Cohen (@gercohen) profile picture
Gerry Cohen
@gercohenOct 31
23,340 early votes cast in Wake County NC Saturday Oct 31. Final cumulative total 334,127, up 52.5% from 2022 final, 38.4% of total registration. Same-day registrations today 921, cumulative 5,679 #ncpol images totals by site, party, race, gender, districts
Image from Gerry Cohen (@gercohen)
Image from Gerry Cohen (@gercohen)
Image from Gerry Cohen (@gercohen)
Image from Gerry Cohen (@gercohen)
1
8
1
44
3,107
Bonnie Taylor-Blake retweeted
John Thorn (@thorn_john) profile picture
John Thorn@thorn_johnOct 28
Game Five coming up! Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack; song slide for "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," May 1908.
Image from John Thorn (@thorn_john)
1
7
1
25
1,545
Bonnie Taylor-Blake retweeted
Anne Oatley (@AnneOatley) profile picture
Anne Oatley@AnneOatleyOct 22
Row over #Mummies in museums is funny when you compare 18/19C antiquarians who loved digging up historical figures. Their accounts, complete with engravings, usually end sadly 'but on being exposed to the air, it crumbled into dust.'
Image from Anne Oatley (@AnneOatley)
2
3
111
Bonnie Taylor-Blake retweeted
Chris Beneke (@historyball) profile picture
Chris Beneke@historyballOct 21
Extortion, plain and simple. And at the expense of veterans.
Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) profile pictureAaron Rupar
@atruparOct 21
Trump on Camp Lejeune water contamination claims: "If we win the House and Senate, I am directing the Department of Justice to settle all remaining legitimate claims as soon as possible ... if we don't win, there's no money."
1
1
64
Bonnie Taylor-Blake retweeted
Thad Ogburn (@thadogburn) profile picture
Thad Ogburn@thadogburnOct 21
In a viral moment at an NC campaign stop this week, JD Vance made a joke that implied a protester was in the US illegally. @FaithWardwell tracked down and talked to the protester who notes: "I’m born and raised here in the southern part of North Carolina." newsobserver.com/news/politi…
JD Vance joked protester was here illegally. He says he was born and raised in NC

JD Vance joked protester was here illegally. He says he was born and raised in NC

A Hendersonville teen’s protest at JD Vance’s rally went viral after the vice president joked about “illegal border crossings.”

newsobserver.com
2
2
206
Bonnie Taylor-Blake retweeted
Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) profile picture
Aaron Rupar
@atruparOct 21
Trump on Roy Cooper: "He's going to become your senator and it's crazy" RIP Michael Whatley
83
323
96
3,295
251,219
what a youthful, vigorous, diverse group …
Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) profile pictureAaron Rupar
@atruparOct 19
JD Vance is speaking to dozens of people today in North Carolina
1
3
95
Load more