Posted on 05/12/2007 1:50:22 PM PDT by neverdem
A COUPLE of weeks ago I saw a new scientific paper from Clemson University that struck me as both pioneering and hilarious.
Accompanied by six graphs, two tables and equations whose terms include “bologna” and “carpet,” it’s a thorough microbiological study of the five-second rule: the idea that if you pick up a dropped piece of food before you can count to five, it’s O.K. to eat it.
I first heard about the rule from my then-young children and thought it was just a way of having fun at snack time and lunch. My daughter now tells me that fun was...
--snip--
What do these numbers tell us about the five-second rule? Quick retrieval does mean fewer bacteria, but it’s no guarantee of safety. True, Jillian Clarke found that the number of bacteria on the floor at the University of Illinois was so low it couldn’t be measured, and the Clemson researchers resorted to extremely high contamination levels for their tests. But even if a floor — or a countertop, or wrapper — carried only a thousandth the number of bacteria applied by the researchers, the piece of food would be likely to pick up several bacteria.
The infectious dose, the smallest number of bacteria that can actually cause illness, is as few as 10 for some salmonellas, fewer than 100 for the deadly strain of E. coli.
Of course we can never know for sure how many harmful microbes there are on any surface. But we know enough now to formulate the five-second rule, version 2.0: If you drop a piece of food, pick it up quickly, take five seconds to recall that just a few bacteria can make you sick, then take a few more to think about where you dropped it and whether or not it’s worth eating.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Also considering that bologna contains, “Everything but the squeal.” perhaps one would be better off disinfecting the floor afterwards.
Once we blew weed smoke into a paper bag, then put the bag over the cat’s head. He struggled around, got his head out, and ran out the front door. A few minutes later, the cat came back and tried to stick his head into the bag.
Perhaps because of it’s bulk packagings resemblance to a certain part of equine anatomy, in the Marine Corp. it is referred to as “Horse C**K. so if a Marine ever offers you a “Horse C**k sandwich” don’t be alarmed it’s just balogna.
Hmmm, a “dysentery” or starve, ....
Thankfully, my kids turned out normal.
As for the girlfriend how often dose she choose the dog first over you. Could she be trying to tell you something?
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