International House of Horrors: Why Halle Berry cried...

I remember when Halle Berry won the Best Actress Academy Award at the 2002 Oscars. It was a noteworthy event given the fact that no African-American woman had won it in the history of the awards. Her acceptance speech was heartfelt, simple and moving. During which she cried; and rightly so, I thought. My UK friends were pretty derisive about her reaction, saying how over the top it was.

Being American, I found it very hard to explain to them centuries of US cultural memory that came together at that moment. How can you? How can anyone? And so I didn't even try, but ever since then I've been sending them news snippets of evidence of racial injustice in the US graphically illustrating that the memory is sadly a harsh reality; entitling each email, "Why Halle Berry cried".

In Philadelphia PA, where your farmer hailed from, a recent event involving children at a private swimming pool has shown there is still far to go in America.

And so the tears roll on.

- Farmer Ted