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August 8

Three second rule

How did the "three second rule" for dropping food on the floor come about? And realistically, are you all that likely to get sick if you drop food on the floor and leave it there for a few seconds before picking it up and eating it? WaltCip (talk) 12:22, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

This may give you some useful information.--Phil Holmes (talk) 12:30, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

A reference that says its a myth: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/news/three-second-rule-is-a-myth-says-new-research/ . This reference says you will get gangrene if violated, but not a reliable one: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=3%20second%20rule. This page talks about origins, but in an untrustworthy way: http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/3_Second_Rule Graeme Bartlett (talk) 12:42, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

And this reference http://cn.uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/%E4%B8%89%E7%A7%92%E8%A7%84%E5%88%99 says that the 3 second rule was derived from the 5 second rule, equally untrustworthy. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 13:20, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Whether it's safe or not depends on the nature of the food, and the condition of the floor (or whichever surface it falls onto). ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:52, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

But the referenced and cited facts show that it is unsafe to allow any contact between food and contaminated surfaces.--Phil Holmes (talk) 15:01, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Mythbusters did a show on the rule. Interestingly they found, IIRC, that dry foods attract bacteria and germs as soon as it hit the ground, but wet food surprisingly did have a few second rule. Sir Joseph ^(talk) 15:15, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I think you're remembering that incorrectly. I just looked at a short clip from the episode again and the conclusion was that the wet food (pastrami) picked up MORE bacteria than the dry (crackers), although both were instantly contaminated. Neither supported the x second rule. CodeTalker (talk) 15:29, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Which raises the question - what is considered not a contaminated surface in practice? Can cutting boards and other kitchen instruments, even if properly washed, be considered fully sterile?--WaltCip (talk) 15:21, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I think there's a difference in terms of health, not necessarily grossness, between a cutting board used for meat, etc. and a floor. The floor might be dirty but it might not have dangerous bacteria. Sir Joseph ^(talk) 15:25, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

This report[1] squares with what I've often heard, that the average desktop is the germiest thing around. Yet how many of us willingly pick up and eat a chip or whatever which fell on our desktop, while we wouldn't do that if it fell on the floor? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:55, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

See Hygiene hypothesis, eating germy chips from our desktops may actually be making us more healthy... --Jayron 32 18:15, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Based on that, given the likelihood that the average kid has eaten off the floor (or other unsanitary places) from time to time, there should be little to worry about. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:20, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Are there actually people who believe that the "three" (or five or ten) "-second rule" is anything but a joke? --69.159.9.219 (talk) 18:08, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

If so, it's an extremely old one. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:20, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Any food that falls on the floor is likely to pick up bacteria, but probably not enough to cause sickness, unless that food was then left to allow the bacteria to grow for a few hours. Then it could indeed make you sick. Of course, most food isn't exactly sterile to begin with, so if you let it sit at a temperature where bacteria can grow, it will become dangerous, in any case. The difference would be in how long it would take. If you start with more bacteria, from having hit the floor, it may not take quite as long to reach a dangerous level of bacteria.

As a practical matter the 3 or 5 second rule may relate to how long it takes insects, like ants or roaches, to find the food. I don't know that they would contaminate it much more, but it certainly would be unappetizing to eat it after that. StuRat (talk) 20:55, 9 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, lord. Everything is already contaminated! Name one dog or cat that's ever died because its food touched the floor. Germs are not magic. Wash your hands with hot and soapy water after you come home, have taken out the trash, are about to cook or set the table, or shake hands with a foreigner or Labourite. Don't touch anything in a public bathroom once you've washed your hands without using a towel to do so, not even to turn off the hot water or to open the door. Pray. (This is technically a rant, and not meant to be taken as professional medical advice.) μηδείς (talk) 19:59, 11 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for your rant, Medeis. Based on your implied advice, I'm going to go dumpster diving for dinner tonight and then tomorrow morning I will dump my pig's excrement into a lake and swim in it.--WaltCip (talk) 12:59, 12 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

That would be good training for swimming in the bay at the Rio Olympics. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:22, 12 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

But if it's got excrement floating around in it, one wouldn't need to actually swim, all one needs to do is just go through the 'motions'.--Aspro (talk) 19:49, 13 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Plenty of cats and dogs die from infectious diseases or parasites. A portion of those presumably were contracted from their unsanitary food. StuRat (talk) 15:17, 13 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

The topic was healthy food dropped on a presumably clean looking surface, not pig slop. And make sure you have some straw man with your dumpster dinner, Walt. Stu, again, we are talking about the dog snatching that slice of well roasted turkey off the linoleum, not eating a dead mouse out of the trash, or sniffing shit at the dog park. And pray, and wash your hands. μηδείς (talk) 23:15, 13 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

The fact is, that cats and dogs have a life-span roughly 1⁄5 that of a human (roughly 15 versus 75). Who knows how long they would live if they didn't eat discarded trash from unsanitary surfaces? Akld guy (talk) 01:56, 14 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

What are the current estate tax consequences for property held in trust?

speculation and financial advice are explicitly forbidden by the ref desk guidelines and by the WP:DISCLAIMER

The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

The current estate tax deduction is $5.45 million. So, what if one has $5 million in real property and bank accounts totaling $10 million in trust. When the current beneficiary dies, the trust installs that person's heir as the new beneficiary.

What are the current estate tax implications for that new beneficiary? What if that $10 million piece of real property was the beneficiary's sole home residence?

What options exist for converting the trust into a charitable trust in order to avoid any estate tax consequences? Zombiesturm (talk) 18:06, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

All of these are questions you'd need to ask a tax lawyer or accountant about. We cannot advise you on your legal options regarding an inheritance. Also, inheritance law varies WILDLY from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. There are no universal principals we can direct you to that apply to the entire world; which is why you should talk to a local lawyer who can advise you based on your local situation. --Jayron 32 18:13, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

We can't give legal advice, but we can point you to some information. I am guessing the original poster is asking about the U.S., since the amount they give is the "combined credit" for U.S. federal gift and estate tax. See estate tax in the United States. Note that for married couples with jointly held assets, the couple can combine each spouse's credit. In the U.S., at least for federal taxes, I am fairly certain that real property being one's residence does not have any impact on estate taxes. We have an article on charitable trusts. For more information on U.S. federal taxes, most IRS publications are available on the IRS website. --71.110.8.102 (talk) 20:36, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

We can neither "guess" at the user's intention nor give financial advice, nor endorse financial advice by providing links to certain websites. I do not see why an IP user finds it necessary to contradict the guidelines, policies, or judgments of an established admin. μηδείς (talk) 21:59, 8 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]