It’s a common feeling: you rush out of the house, late for work or to meet a friend, only to be struck by the fear that you forgot to turn your iron off. If you regularly get the feeling you left a particular appliance on, Lifehacker.com suggests snapping a quick photo of it before you leave the house. Do you often think you a burner on after making breakfast? Before you head out the door snap a pic if the knobs in the office position; should the feeling hit you on the way to work you can just glance at your phone as a reminder that all is well at home.

For the millions of workers stuck at home through the coronavirus pandemic, the idea of moving to a Caribbean island for a year sounds like a dream. But now it could become a reality. Barbados is planning to introduce a 12-month visa that would allow remote workers to swap cramped city apartments for the island’s white sandy beaches, blue sea and year-round sunshine. The scheme, known as the “Barbados Welcome Stamp,” is due to be launched in August and will be open to anyone earning more than $50,000. The scheme is designed to provide a much-needed boost to the island’s tourist-dependent economy, while capitalizing on the shift in work patterns driven by the coronavirus pandemic… The Barbados Welcome Stamp would give visitors the right to work in the country for up to a year, regardless of where their employer is based. It’s expected to cost $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a family visa — irrespective of how many children that family has. Participants in the scheme will be required to take out health insurance.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FAMILY FINDS HONEY DRIPPING FROM THE WALLS _ A Pennsylvania family was dealing with a few thousand uninvited, messy house guests this week. The Isabell family (in Perkasie) discovered they had a big bee problem. On Friday night, after Tropical Storm Fay moved through the area, the family found dark stains dripping down their walls. They assumed it was storm damage, but got closer to see for themselves. It was sticky. And it smelled like honey. And that’s what it was. The Isabells said they did a little detective work and traced the bees to the top of the house. They had seen a rogue bee now and then near the attic, but never thought much of it. They called in The Bee Man who came out for a thermal scan and an assessment. He came back later to extract the colony.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRIVER LOST CAR DURING DRUNKEN BENDER _ A Minneapolis resident is without wheels after he (or she) misplaced their 2007 Toyota Camry during a night out partying. A user on reddit posted: “I got too drunk, parked my car, and rode with a friend. We think it’s somewhere in the northern parts of Hennepin County, parked on a residential street.” The poster lists a number to call if the wayward Toyota is spotted and offers an unspecified reward. The reddit user says by riding with a friend “I may have saved your life or your child’s. But now I can’t find my car.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: OPOSSUM FOUND STUCK IN SNAPPLE BOTTLE _ The Animal Care and Control Team of Philadelphia is reminding residents to properly dispose of trash and recycling after a small opossum was found stuck inside a Snapple bottle. This comes as trash pickup in the city has recently been delayed and has become a problem. Luckily, protection officers safely freed the animal. They say the opossum seems OK and will be headed to rehab. • IMAGES

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN SAWS HIS NEIGHBOR’S GARAGE IN HALF _ In Maine, a property dispute led one man to sawing his neighbor’s garage in half. The two neighbors had been in a dispute over the property line for quite a while, however once a land surveyor determined that part of the garage was over the property line, he took a sawzall to the structure, cutting it right in half.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ANTIFA? NO, ROOF REPAIR _ Scott Gudmundsen called police to report two masked “antifa guys” in his Colorado (Loveland) neighborhood. A short time later police got another call — reporting a man in fatigues holding two people on the ground at gunpoint. When police arrived they arrested Gudmundsen and confiscated his guns. The two “antifa guys” on the ground were wearing surgical-style masks, shorts, and matching polo shirts — with the name of the roofing company they worked for. They were in the neighborhood because of recent hail storms and weren’t doing anything illegal.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: UNDERWEAR THIEF STEALS FROM FRIEND _ A man in the UK is accused of breaking into the home of a female acquaintance to steal her shoes and underwear. When police found the items in his car, the man initially said the clothing belonged to him. Prosecutors say the man admitted to stealing the clothes because he has a fetish and could not help himself.

Entertainment News

Question of the Podcast - Do you prefer fruit or do you prefer vegetable? Why? The question of the podcast for listener participation for this Wednesday is a What caused your last uncontrollable laugh? You can respond to the question on The Jason & Mindy Facebook page or the Lowtree Studios facebook page and we will feature your response on next Wednesday’s show.

HOW TO DRINK A BEER

Jim Koch, the founder and brewer of Samuel Adams beer, once shared how he drinks a beer.

• Never use a frosted mug with beer — it dilutes the taste and can introduce unwanted flavors into the mix.

• Tilting the glass at a 45-degree angle, pour half the beer down the side and then the other half right down the middle. That kind of pour lowers the carbonation to the right level.

• When buying beer, look for freshness dates on the bottles — beer begins losing flavor about four months from the bottling date. If you find a quality lager that has passed its peak, use it for marinating steak tips.

• If you host a party and there is leftover beer in the fridge, its OK to put it back in the cupboard. Temperature changes won’t hurt it.

• Before serving any cold beer, take it out of the fridge and allow it to warm up on the counter for five or 10 minutes. Beer that is too cold loses its complexity.

IT’S NOT THE HEAT, IT’S THE HUMIDITY

It affects our bodies, our minds, even our wallets — it’s the humidity.

WHAT IS IT?

• Relative humidity compares the actual water vapor with the amount of water the air can absorb at a certain temperature. The warmer the air, the more water it can hold. 90-degree air can soak up almost twice as much moisture as 70-degree air can.

• In one day, a five-acre forest can release 20-thousand gallons of water — enough to fill an average swimming pool. Other causes of humidity include oceans, plants, clothes dryers — even our breath, which sends nearly a pint of moist air into the atmosphere every time we exhale.

HOW IT AFFECTS OUR BODIES

• On-the-job accidents increase as the humidity increases

• We get more migraine headaches, ulcer attacks, blood clots and skin rashes

• Hospitals are inundated with more cases of dizziness, stomachaches, chest pains, cramps and blurred or double vision

• Our appearances take a beating — oily skin breaks out, curly hair gets frizzy, straight hair wilts

• Thanks to swelling from water retention, humidity can even be to blame for making us look fatter in the waistline and legs

Fun Facts

✓ The Sun shrinks 5 feet every hour.

✓ Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenium predicted fossil-fuel-related global warming in 1896.

- Everyone gets old. It’s an inevitable truth humans have come to terms with. How old you’ll live to, however, is another question. If you’re aiming for the century mark, researchers (University of Otago) say they know the secret. Avoiding smoking and maintaining an active social life are the common keys found among New Zealanders who live past 100. The study collected data from 292 centenarians who were free of chronic diseases such as dementia, depression, diabetes, and hypertension. The researchers said: “Electing not to smoke and committing to maintain social networking will be the best investment one can make towards successful aging.”

- Some results of one of those studies that we didn’t really need. Researchers say that homeowners burn more than 80,000 calories a year by working in the yard and doing some gardening. And while that number may seem huge, it really comes to about 220 calories a day. But since every little bit helps, keep digging in the dirt and mowing your lawn.

SOME FOODS YOU DIDN’T THINK WERE GOOD FOR YOU

Ice cream, apple pie, potato chips — okay, so they’re still bad. But here are some surprising foods that ARE good for you.

• Iceberg Lettuce — The light green color of iceberg lettuce suggests that it isn’t rich in nutrients. Fact: Iceberg contains lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids that reduce the risk for cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, the leading causes of blindness in older adults.

• Watermelon — It contains more water than most fruits. The high liquid content, along with the sugars and fiber, make watermelon the perfect snack before workouts. But it’s more than a snack food. Fact: Watermelon contains 40 percent more lycopene than fresh (uncooked) tomatoes. Lycopene is a potent antioxidant that strengthens the immune system and may lower the risk for breast and prostate cancers. Helpful: When you take a watermelon home, keep it on the counter even after cutting it open. Room-temperature watermelon continues to produce antioxidants for about two weeks. It will contain up to 40 percent more lycopene and up to 139 percent more beta-carotene than cold watermelon.

• Sauerkraut — Fresh, minimally processed vegetables are presumed to be the healthiest. Not always. Fact: One study found that women who ate at least four weekly servings of fermented cabbage, better known as sauerkraut, were 72 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than those who ate less.

• Onions — Most people use onions mainly as a seasoning ingredient in soups and stews and on burgers and salads. For good health, use a lot of them. Fact: Onions are high in vitamin C, fiber, vitamin B-6 and folate. They also are rich in quercetin, a flavonoid with powerful anticancer effects, and allyl sulfides, the same protective compounds that are present in garlic. Studies have found that people who eat between 14 and 22 servings of onions a week can reduce their risk for oral cancer by 84 percent. They have a 56 percent reduced risk for colon cancer, a 25 percent reduced risk for breast cancer and a 71 percent reduced risk for prostate cancer.

• Artichokes — They’re work to eat, but the payoff can be better digestive health. Fact: One study found that people who took an artichoke leaf extract had a 26.4 percent reduction in symptoms from irritable bowel syndrome. One of the chemical compounds in artichokes, silymarin, is reputed to improve liver health in patients with hepatitis, but this hasn’t been proved. Helpful: Look for artichokes with long stems. When cooked, the stems are almost as tasty as the hearts. Peel the stems to make them more tender. Canned, frozen and jarred artichoke hearts are good, too.

• Avocados — Avocados have the distinction of being higher in fat than any other fruit or vegetable. One medium Hass avocado, for example, has about 29 grams of fat and about 320 calories. Fact: Nearly all of the fat in avocados is the healthful, monounsaturated form. In a study of patients with high cholesterol, those who included avocado in their daily diet had a decrease in total cholesterol, along with an 11 percent increase in beneficial HDL cholesterol. As a source of healthy fat, avocado is better than butter and is delicious when spread on toast or a sandwich.