Man robs bank to get medical care in jail

Some people who need medical care but can't afford it go to the emergency room. Others just hope they'll get better. James Richard Verone robbed a bank.

Earlier this month, Verone (pictured), a 59-year-old convenience store clerk, walked into a Gastonia, N.C., bank and handed the cashier a note demanding $1 and medical attention. Then he waited calmly for police to show up.
He's now in jail and has an appointment with a doctor this week.

Verone's problems started when he lost the job he'd held for 17 years as a Coca Cola deliveryman, amid the economic downturn. He found new work driving a truck, but it didn't last. Eventually, he took a part-time position at the convenience store.

But Verone's body wasn't up to it. The bending and lifting made his back ache. He had problems with his left foot, making him limp. He also suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritis.

Then he noticed a protrusion on his chest. "The pain was beyond the tolerance that I could accept," Verone told the Gaston Gazette. "I kind of hit a brick wall with everything."

Verone knew he needed help--and he didn't want to be a burden on his sister and brothers. He applied for food stamps, but they weren't enough either.

So he hatched a plan. On June 9, he woke up, showered, ironed his shirt. He mailed a letter to the Gazette, listing the return address as the Gaston County Jail.

"When you receive this a bank robbery will have been committed by me," Verone wrote in the letter. "This robbery is being committed by me for one dollar. I am of sound mind but not so much sound body."
Then Verone hailed a cab to take him to the RBC Bank. Inside, he handed the teller his $1 robbery demand.

"I didn't have any fears," said Verone. "I told the teller that I would sit over here and wait for police."

The teller was so frightened that she had to be taken to the hospital to be checked out. Verone, meanwhile, was taken to jail, just as he'd planned it.

Because he only asked for $1, Verone was charged with larceny, not bank robbery. But he said that if his punishment isn't severe enough, he plans to tell the judge that he'll do it again. His $100,000 bond has been reduced to $2,000, but he says he doesn't plan to pay it.

In jail, Verone said he skips dinner to avoid too much contact with the other inmates. He's already seen some nurses and is scheduled to see a doctor on Friday. He said he's hoping to receive back and foot surgery, and get the protrusion on his chest treated. Then he plans to spend a few years in jail, before getting out in time to collect Social Security and move to the beach.

Verone also presented the view that if the United States had a health-care system which offered people more government support, he wouldn't have had to make the choice he did.

"If you don't have your health you don't have anything," Verone said.

The Affordable Care Act, President Obama's health-care overhaul passed by Congress last year, was designed to make it easier for Americans in situations like Verone's to get health insurance. But most of its provisions don't go into effect until 2014.
As it is, Verone said he thinks he chose the best of a bunch of bad options. "I picked jail."

(Photo: Ben Goff/The Gaston Gazette) 
 By Zachary Roth

The iPhone 5 Rumor Mill Kicks Into High Gear

Now that Apple has unveiled iOS 5, the media frenzy surrounding the next version of the iPhone is back with a vengeance.We’ve written extensively about the yet-to-be-announced device already (proof here, here, here, here, here and here), but we’re not the only ones. There’s a cult-like fascination with Apple product rumors, and that fascination turns into an obsession when it comes to iPhones.
This week’s flurry of iPhone rumors started with a Boy Genius Report story claiming that the iPhone 5 will be a radical departure from the iPhone 4. BGR‘s source told the publication to “expect a radical new case design for the upcoming iPhone” and that an event to announce the device could come in August.
This report is a departure from the intelligence we’ve gathered thus far on the device. We’ve been told to expect something that looks similar to the iPhone 4 but faster (thanks to the Apple A5 processor) and with a better camera. We’re not the only media outlet that was skeptical of BGR‘s report.
It didn’t take long until Bloomberg decided to publish a report of its own on the iPhone 5, complete with its own set of anonymous source. According to its sources, the iPhone 5 will be introduced in September, have an 8-megapixel camera and include the A5 processor. Bloomberg says that the September release date is meant to coincide with the release of iOS 5.
To put the cherry on top though, Bloomberg also added some juicy tidbits about the iPad 3. Specifically, the news outlet reports that the next-generation tablet will have a one-third higher screen resolution and a “more responsive touchscreen.” Bloomberg also resurfaced old rumors of a cheaper version of the iPhone.
While we think Bloomberg‘s report is accurate, we want to stress this point: Only Steve Jobs knows what Apple is planning to do next. Besides, these reports fail to address rumors about the next iPhone having a brushed metal back, NFC technology or a wider screen. We’re much more interested in finding out more about those rumors.
Don’t expect the iPhone 5 rumor mill to to quiet down anytime soon; it’s just getting started.

Originally by Ben Parr

Barack Obama is officially the baby whisperer

Politicians seem to love nothing more than to run into a baby on the campaign trail. They hug them, they kiss them, they swing them around in the air--perhaps knowing that posing with a cute kid softens their image among prospective voters.
But leave it to Barack Obama to go and one up his fellow pols, by appearing to magically silence a wailing baby with only a simple touch. It's a feat of infant-wrangling that appears to surprise even First Lady Michelle Obama.
It happened last week at the president's annual congressional picnic on the South Lawn of the White House and was captured on video by an Obama staff videographer.

Originally by Holly Bailey

Are Men Better Than Women at Online Networking?

Men are savvier online professional networkers than women, according to an online-networking "savviness" ranking developed by LinkedIn, the social network that's known for professional networking.
The study was based on two findings:
--The ratio of connections that men have to connections that women have
--The ratio of male members on LinkedIn to female members
Interestingly, when broken down by industry, more male LinkedIn network in traditionally female fields, such as the cosmetics industry. But in tobacco and ranching industries, which are normally considered male-dominated, women are the predominant networkers. Why? LinkedIn suggested the "minority sex has to network harder than the dominant sex to break into those industries."
[See How to mesh In-Person and Online Networking.]
The study did not look into the quality of the connections for the various groups. But when it comes to networking, having a large network isn't always the key factor to success. Job seekers and others should always take into account the depth and breadth of their contacts in addition to the number of people in their circle. In other words, consider the quality of your connections in addition to quantity.
Here's what you should consider to grow your LinkedIn and other networks strategically:
Is your network geographically diverse? LinkedIn provides statistics about your network via the main toolbar. Click on "Contacts" and select "Network Statistics." Study the "regional access" data to see where your network is strongest, and decide whether you need to work harder to grow your number of contacts in a certain location. If you live in New York and are planning a move to Omaha, it could behoove you to focus your network expansion with that geographical goal in mind.
Does your network include members from each of your past industries and jobs? Luckily, "Network Statistics" also highlights the top industries in your network. You may be surprised to learn the breakdown by field. Is the fastest-growing network in your field one you believe will propel your career forward? If not, consider joining industry groups and answering questions on LinkedIn to engage new contacts.
[See Why College Students Should Join LinkedIn.]
Does your network include contacts from your targeted (future) fields? When evaluating industries, keep in mind you'll want a strong network in your next field if you plan to change careers. One way to help you visualize and categorize your LinkedIn network is by using inMaps, which produces a color-coded chart to illustrate different affiliations or groups represented in your network, including people associated with your previous employer, college classmates, or industries you've worked in. The inMap also illustrates how the people you are connected to connect to each other. You can identify pockets in your networks and consider where you may want to expand your connections via this visual tool.
Once you strategize about how to grow your network, don't forget: a useful, engaged network requires ongoing upkeep and effort.
Keep the following in mind to fully benefit from your LinkedIn profile:
Use your headline to clearly describe your value proposition. Market yourself clearly, and don't feel compelled to use your work title as your headline. Use the headline to describe your expertise using keywords to help people find you. You can even use your headline to announce your job-search goals.
[See How to Position Yourself to Change Careers.]
Make sure you tell a compelling story in your summary. Use your summary section to your best advantage and give people a reason to learn more about you. This is an opportunity to share the most important and interesting details about you with visitors to your profile--and to engage them so they want to learn more.
Interact and engage with your network. Update your status regularly to let people know what you're doing and thinking about. Share links to posts you write and important or useful articles from others in your circle. Comment on others' status updates, and keep an eye on the updates LinkedIn offers to stay in touch with what members in your network are doing. When someone adds an updated job description, congratulate him or her. If a colleague wins an award, make sure to acknowledge it.
Don't allow LinkedIn to become a static network--engage, interact, and share your resources. When you do, you'll benefit from all it has to offer!
Miriam Salpeter is a job search and social media consultant, career coach, author, speaker, resume writer and owner of Keppie Careers. She is author of Social Networking for Career Success. Miriam teaches job seekers and entrepreneurs how to incorporate social media tools along with traditional strategies to empower their success. Connect with her via Twitter @Keppie_Careers.

Study: Women dig dudes driving hot cars

A recent study by Texas researchers proves what single men have known for a long time: Chicks dig hot cars.
Men who wear expensive clothes and drive flashy cars are more successful at having flings and staying single than their financially conservative counterparts, researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio said.
And while it's not exactly groundbreaking information that some women are more likely to go from the bar with a guy in a Porsche rather than a Geo, the project found the phenomenon is less about gold-digging and more about "signals," University of Texas at San Antonio marketing professor Dr. Jill Sundie told Reuters on Monday.
By engaging in splashy personal spending, men are sending a signal to women that they want a "short term relationship," much like peacocks trying to woo a mating partner using "wasteful, elaborate displays," Sundie said.
"Basically, they're just trying to convince a female that, 'Hey, if all you're looking for is genes, I have the best genes, so you should choose me,'" she said.
Women, pick up on that signal and respond to it -- positively if she's into that kind of thing, or negatively if she is looking for marriage material.
"Women seem to understand that when they see a man who has chosen to spend money conspicuously, they think he would be more interesting as a date," Sundie said.
That is, if all they want is a one-nighter or something temporary. When it comes to the long term, Sundie said, flashing the cash becomes a turn-off for women.
"If you ask them to think of these men instead as a long term partner, how good is this guy as a marriage partner, the flashy spending doesn't help him at all," she said.
The same is not true for women, the study shows.
Researchers surveyed nearly 1,000 men and women in four separate studies to determine the signals sent by conspicuous consumption and how it is viewed by the opposite sex. Their findings were published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Sundie stressed that not all men who spend conspicuously do so in hopes of having a fling, and women who date these types of men are not all interested simply in flings.
But the signals are clear, even if the intentions are not.
"It appears to be a behavior that is much more likely to occur if the guy is seeking short-term relationships, and he is thinking about a situation where he might be able to get one of those short-term relationships," she said. "When they think about women, they spend lots of money."
(Editing by Karen Brooks and Greg McCune)