Thursday, March 19, 2026

Alvin W. Nelson (the younger) 1951 - 2024

Alvin W. Nelson
August 22, 2024
Bishop Alvin W. Nelson, 73, of De Witt, passed away August 22, 2024. Alvin was born in Laurens, South Carolina on May 3, 1951 to Suff. Bishop Alvin and Dr. Mable Nelson.
Alvin received his associate's degree from Aenon Bible College, and served in the United States Army as a Corporal. He later retired from Syracuse University. He was a Pastor at the Greater Holy Temple 1 and 2 in Syracuse and Utica. Alvin was a loving and caring person. He was always giving to others, and a great people person. He was a great cook. Most of all, he was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and God-father. He was a true man of God and loved the Lord.
He was preceded in death by Father, Suff. Bishop Alvin J. Nelson; Mother, Dr. Mable E. (Pyles) Nelson; and Sister, Phyllis Nelson.
He is survived by his Wife of 53 years, Evang. Lindell Nelson; Son, Mario (Ann Lynn) Nelson; Two Daughters, Christina (late, Jason Dee) Nelson-Dee, Jacinta Smith; Eight grandchildren, Kai Stenson-Nelson, Alessia Dee, Jalen Humphrey, Jason Dee, Jr., Jayda Nelson, Jasmine Nelson, Mario Nelson, Jr., Kiah Edwards; Sister, Beverly (George) Matos; Brother, Rickie (Antoinette) Nelson; and many Sister and Brother-in-Laws, Nieces, Nephews, Godchildren, and Cousins.
Family and friends may call on Wednesday, September 4th, from 11:00am – 12:00pm at Bethany Baptist Church at 149 Beattie St, Syracuse, NY, where funeral services will be held at 12:00pm. Interment at Oakwood Cemetery.

Friday, March 13, 2026

I Would Prefer Not To, Your Honor

.... In Montgomery, Alabama, when attorney Norman Hurst Jr. signed on in 2007 to represent a preschool teacher in a race and gender discrimination suit against First United Methodist Church but then missed every court-appointed deadline, skipped pretrial hearings, and ignored every request to discuss settlements,

Prior to the hearing, [Hurst] called the court’s chambers and left a message, unwittingly, perhaps, in the words of Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener, that he would “prefer not” to attend the contempt hearing. The court sent a message back that he had no preference in the matter and must attend the hearing if he did not want to be held in contempt of court.

Some people cannot be persuaded. Hurst was late for the hearing and sanctioned for contempt, another Bartleby cut down before he could do more damage....

Friday, February 27, 2026

Growing Freedom in Adirondack Wilderness

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Alabama Fall Line

Fall Line

The geologic feature known as the fall line is the boundary between the East Gulf Coastal Plain and any of the provinces of the Appalachian Highlands Region. It runs in a curve from near Opelika in Lee County, tracks north of Montgomery, and then flows into Mississippi in the region west of Tuscumbia, in Colbert County.

Fall Line The term "fall line" was originally used to describe the east-facing cliff, called a scarp, that stretches from New Jersey south to the Carolinas and separates the hard Piedmont rocks of the Appalachian Highlands from the softer rocks of the Atlantic Plain. The fall line was important because the waterfalls and rapids along its length effectively stopped water transport inland, but they also provided power for water wheels and flumes. Hence, many of the early colonial-era cities, such as Trenton, New Jersey; Baltimore, Maryland; Richmond, Virginia; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Columbia, South Carolina, developed along the fall line. Several plant species live along the fall line, most notably the Cahaba lily.

In Alabama, the fall line is not always a cliff or a scarp. From Opelika to Montgomery, where the hard rocks of the Piedmont meet the sands and gravels of the Coastal Plain, there is a visible change in slope, with the Piedmont rocks underlying a plateau that is 150 to 200 feet higher than the Coastal Plain rocks. Interstate 85 runs through the Coastal Plain and roughly parallels the fall line from Montgomery east to near Auburn. During the early nineteenth century, several small towns, such as Griffin Mill and Whatley Mill, sprang up in this area to make use of the water power produced by the local falls.

Between Montgomery and Clanton, the appearance of the fall line changes. It occurs as lowland, about 10 to 12 miles wide, that formed when all rocks were eroded by the power of the Coosa River.

In the central part of the state, the fall line is a zone about five miles wide that consists of narrow, steep-sided valleys with flat higher areas. The valleys of the Valley and Ridge section are generally underlain by the more easily eroded shale, limestone, and dolomite, and the rocks of the Coastal Plain underlay the higher elevations. In areas where the resistant Pottsville sandstone occurs, it forms the ridges, however, and the Coastal Plain rocks underlay the valleys.

In most of the northwestern part of the state, the fall line is a slope with an elevation change of about 120 feet and forms where the Coastal Plain meets the resistant sandstones of the Cumberland Plateau.