BOC#014 Box of Chocolates

Scalping, Esther Perel, On This Day, & Must Watch

Apr 07, 2025

4 MINUTE MUNCH

WE’VE ALL HEARD OF TROPHY HUNTING, BUT WHAT IF…

…the trophy wasn’t an elephant tusk, but a human scalp? Yes, you read that right! The practice of ‘scalping’ involved the cutting or tearing of an enemy’s scalp with the hair still attached, a practice recorded as far back as ancient Greek historian and geographer Herodotus (484 - 425 BCE). Scalping involved grabbing an enemy by the hair, making incisions, and then ripping back to remove the desired area of hair, skin, and tissue. Having traditionally been associated with Native American Indians, the practice is thought to have developed independently in both eastern and western cultures. In 1756 Governor Charles Lawrence issued the British Scalp Proclamation during skirmishes with the indigenous Mi’kmaq people of present day Canada which read: ‘And, we do hereby promise, by and with the advice and consent of His Majesty’s Council, and reward of £30 for every male Indian prisoner above the age of sixteen years, brought in alive; or for a scalp of such male Indian twenty-five pounds…’ Surprisingly, some (albeit few) miraculously survived, including Englishman William Thompson in 1867 whose scalp remains on display in the Omaha public library.

WHAT IS A “CLASSIC” BOOK ANYWAY?

Roman author Aulus Gellius spent his nights in Attica (Greece), compiling his Commonplace book aptly named Attic Nights, in which he compiled literary quotations, philosophy, geometry, history and more. He required a system by which he could order his entries according to preference and importance, and as the wealthiest citizens of Rome were known as Classici, Aulus opted to refer to his favorite writers as Scriptores Classici, unwittingly coining the term ‘literary classics.’ For centuries thereafter, antiquity was a prerequisite for the qualification of classic literature, and only Greek and Latin writings qualified. The category eventually evolved to include early modern writers such as Shakespeare, and eventually evolved into a catalogue of books that should be read during a lifetime, as Italian novelist Calvino said: “All that can be done is for each one of us to invent our own ideal library of our classics.”

HOW DOES RUST FORM?

When water and atmospheric carbon dioxide meet, they form a weak albeit corrosive carbonic acid. As the acid makes contact with an iron surface, the iron begins to dissolve, permitting these newly freed iron atoms to bond with the oxygen in the acid, which in turn forms that pesky destroyer of garden dwelling bicycles, rust.

PASSAGE FROM MATING IN CAPTIVITY* BY ESTHER PEREL:

“Love rests on two pillars: surrender and autonomy. Our need for togetherness exists alongside our need for separateness. One does not exist without the other. With too much distance, there can be no connection. But too much merging eradicates the separateness of two distinct individuals.”

ON THIS DAY:

…in 1948, the World Health Organization was formed. It’s also National Beer Day in the U.S which celebrates the Cullen–Harrison Act which came into effect on 7th April 1933 permitting the sale of low alcohol beer following 13 years of prohibition. Signed by President Roosevelt on March 22nd of the same year, the act marked the beginning of the end of the infamous alcohol ban which had been in place since 1920.

KNOW YOUR WORDS: CLIMATIC, CLIMACTIC, CLIMACTERIC…

Climactic refers to the culmination of a series of events, resulting in a climax. Climatic refers to the weather, while Climacteric is a noun used in reference to a time of important change, period, or event, and is often used in reference to the menopause.

MUST WATCH…

Three documentaries to watch this week:

Touching the Void (2003, Apple TV, Amazon Prime) - Following the harrowing journey Joe Simpson and Simon Yates as they attempt to summit the Peruvian Andes. A story of terrific human perseverance and mental resilience.
Last Breath (2018, available on Amazon Prime and YouTube) - The documentary behind the fantastic new movie featuring Woody Harrelson of the same title. The documentary follows the unbelievable chain of events that left a saturation diver stranded at the bottom of the North Sea without air, communications, or whereabouts.
Zero Days (2016, YouTube) - The secret story behind the Stuxnet virus that was deployed against Iranian centrifuges in 2005. An excellent insight into the world of cyber-warfare.