PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (AP) — Rick Santorum is tired, almost broke — and going home.

The former Pennsylvania senator is taking a pause from Florida campaigning just days before the Tuesday primary that even he expects to deal him a third consecutive loss.

Santorum says he would rather spend his Saturday sitting at his kitchen table doing his taxes than campaigning in a state where the race for the Republican presidential nomination has become a two-man fight between Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney . 

The cash-strapped candidate acknowledges that he simply can’t keep up with the GOP front-runners in Florida.

“We’re going to talk about the Constitution and talk about being a strong conservative,” Santorum said at an event here this week. “And that’s all we can do.”

Outside advisers are urging him to pack up in Florida completely and not spend another minute in a state where he is cruising toward a loss. But Santorum insisted on Friday that he would return once he has readied his taxes for public release.

“I’m coming back within 24 hours, and I’m here through up to election day,” Santorum told Fox News. “I’ve spent every minute here in Florida, and I’m going to work in Florida.”

Santorum has yet to announce his schedule for Florida’s primary day. He says it was a mistake for him to remain in South Carolina on its voting day.

“We can’t let grass grow,” he told reporters Thursday. “South Carolina Election Day was sort of a wasted day for us.”

He pledged to continue his campaign regardless of the Florida outcome.

It’s a grim period for Santorum, who just three weeks ago was riding high on a strong finish in the Iowa caucuses; after first saying the result was a virtual tie with Romney, the Iowa GOP ultimately declared Santorum the winner. The victory was short-lived. He lost big in both New Hampshire and South Carolina.

He faced an uphill battle even before the race turned to Florida. He doesn’t have the money to spend on television ads in Florida’s expensive media markets. He couldn’t compete with the thousands-strong crowds his rivals have been drawing. And he wasn’t able to find a moment here that crystalized the rationale for his candidacy.

“Other candidates tell you they need your help,” Santorum told Florida Republicans this week, almost pleading. “They’re lying. I really need your help.”

But help didn’t come — at least in this state — for a candidate who is visibly exhausted and running on, at most, four hours of sleep each night.

So Santorum is going home to Pennsylvania, which he represented in the Senate, and Virginia, where he lives with his wife and seven children, to get some rest and, he says, prepare his own taxes. He also plans fundraisers in both states as he works to rebuild his campaign account to pay for upcoming contests in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado.

Santorum also is looking at Arizona and Michigan, states that vote at the end of February — if he makes it that far.

His inner circle of advisers is looking at the campaign checkbook. They say they can keep a lean campaign rolling in case Gingrich or Romney implode.

“This race is just starting. It’s a three-man race,” Santorum insists. “We’re going to be in this race for the long term.”

For now, at least, polls show Santorum dramatically trailing in Florida, the largest and most diverse state in the early nominating schedule. And he seems to be coming up short as he tries to win over voters with his everyman persona.

“I wish he had a little more passion in the belly,” said Don Waldt, a Punta Gorda retiree who attended a Santorum rally at dusk this week. “He is conservative and authentic. But he isn’t on top and doesn’t seem to have a clear path to the top.”

Juvenile is teaming with DJ Smallz for the street release.

Juvenile has announced the release of a new mixtape entitled Mardi Gras, which is set to be hosted by DJ Smallz.

Smallz, aka Mr. Southern Smoke, took to his blog to reveal the cover art for the street release. Artist Blake Gaston created the image for the cover, a portrait of Juvie with a Mardi Gras mask on his face.

Click photo to enlarge

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JANUARY 24: Apple products are displayed in the window of an Apple Store on January 24, 2012 in San Francisco, California. Apple will report first quarter earnings today after the closing bell. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Even as some investors question how much longer Apple (AAPL) can keep strutting its spectacular bottom line, red-hot iPhone and iPad sales helped supercharge its first earnings report of 2012 with a breathtaking 118-percent jump in profit, reportedly the largest quarterly revenue by any tech company in history.

The Cupertino company on Tuesday reported earnings of $ 13.06 billion, or $ 13.87 per diluted share, for its first fiscal quarter, which ended Dec. 24. Revenues soared to $ 46.3 billion, up from $ 26.7 billion for the same quarter a year ago, putting Apple on course to become the world’s largest technology company in terms of revenue.

“This is more than spectacular,” said analyst Tim Bajarin with Creative Strategies. “They had a record-setting blowout quarter with incremental upgrades to the iPhone and the Mac. Imagine what 2012 will be like with a new version of the iPhone, the iPad and maybe even an all-new Mac.”

The numbers blew past Wall Street’s projections. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to earn $ 10.07 a share on sales of $ 38.76 billion.

“We’re thrilled with our outstanding results and record-breaking sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook, who took over from an ailing Steve

Jobs last August just weeks before Jobs died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. “Apple’s momentum is incredibly strong, and we have some amazing new products in the pipeline.”

Once again, the iPhone was the star of the show, driving Apple revenue to an all-time high even though the iPhone 4S introduced at the start of the quarter was initially criticized as being too similar to its predecessor. The public obviously disagreed, buying more than 37 million iPhones during the quarter, up 128 percent from the one a year earlier.

The iPad played a strong supporting role, with Apple selling 15.43 million of the tablets, a jump of 111 percent from the same period last year. Apple also sold 5.2 million Mac computers in the quarter, a 26-percent increase.

Apple said its gross margin was 44.7 percent, compared to 38.5 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 58 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

As Apple sailed into the new calendar year with nearly $ 100 billion in cash, the steady hand of Cook at the helm, and excitement building over rumored releases of a new iPad 3 and iTV, some analysts wondered whether the rivals nipping at Apple’s heels might put a drag on the company’s torrid growth pace.

But in contrast to the previous quarter, when Apple saw its first revenue miss since 2008, Tuesday’s scorecard for the first reporting period to include the new iPhone 4S was stunning.

Apple had $ 127.8 billion in sales during the 2011 calendar year, putting it neck-and-neck with Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) the nation’s largest tech company in terms of sales. CNN reported that Apple is on pace to this year become the biggest technology company in the world, measured by revenue, surpassing current global No. 1 Samsung.

Many analysts think Apple will continue to astonish the world with its performance in coming years.

“This is just a stepping point for it to go another 15 to 20 percent higher than it is now,” said Michael Yoshikami, CEO of YCMNET Advisors, which owns Apple shares, adding that international expansion will drive much of the upside. “The stock is cheap relative to companies like Google (GOOG). It’s a good value, especially considering what a growth trajectory this company is on.”

Apple’s stock gained 25 percent in 2011, adding about $ 77 billion to its market capitalization, and its share price touched an all-time high of $ 431.36 this past week. Traders were giddy on the latest news, sending shares up $ 40 to around $ 460 in after-hours trading — a nearly 10 percent jump.

On the after-earnings conference call with analysts, Apple’s cash holdings became the subject of some tantalizing comments by the company’s executives, who raised the possibility of Apple making some earth-shaking acquisitions in the coming months.

“We are actively discussing uses of our cash balance and don’t have anything specific to announce today,” Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer told the analysts. “In the meantime, we continue to be very disciplined with the cash and are not letting it burn a hole in our pocket.”

Staff writer Jeremy Owens also contributed to this report.

Contact Patrick May at 408-920-5689 or follow him at Twitter.com/patmaymerc

Tensions surrounding Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear capability have continued to rise in recent days. In addition to today’s announcement by the EU that it would ban its nations from importing Iranian oil, a U.S. aircraft carrier accompanied by warships from Britain and France passed through the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend. In spite of recent threats by Iran, the country seemed to acquiesce to the USS Abraham Lincoln entering the Persian Gulf, referring to U.S. Naval exercises in the area as “normal”.

And, it’s also very important to note that the EU ban on Iranian oil does not really take effect until after July 1. Any contracts to purchase Iranian oil through that time will be honored, although it is unclear whether Tehran will continue to supply oil during that time frame. Several Iranian officials have suggested that the Islamic Republic immediately cease shipments of oil to EU nations, which would have a tremendous impact on the fragile economies of struggling EU nations like Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

Iran has recently signaled that it is considering having direct talks with Western powers about its nuclear ambitions, but it is unclear if any substantive progress has been made through diplomatic channels. Israeli leaders have expressed concern that Iran may never bow to diplomatic or economic pressure and that proactive military strikes may be the only true deterrent.

With the instability of the global economy, it is unclear exactly how much leverage either side has in the current stare down. If a military conflict ultimately develops, it is unclear exactly how far U.S. forces would take their mission.

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“Words are merely utterances: noises that stand for feelings, thoughts, and experience. They are symbols. Signs. Insignias. They are not Truth. They are not the real thing”. ~ ‘Conversations with God’ by Neale Donald Walsch.

We, the people of the 21st century, are so stressed out and burdened with life, that anxiety attacks, heartbreak and depression have become common terms for us. Many of you out there, just like me would not want to spend time and money on visiting a therapist to solve such problems. And what do we have for respite, if not for words of advice from trained professionals and elders, is a multitude of self-help books. The hysteria surrounding these books is evidently on the rise, as statistics prove that self-help books are apparently best sellers. But is it worth investing your money on books that only offer advice?

Purpose of Self-help Books

A Testimonial of Change

Being an ardent reader of self-help books myself, the foremost thought that comes to my mind, with regards to these books, is that they are a testimonial. By testimony, I imply evidence of an intrinsic change, that the authors have experienced for themselves. What interests me here, is the silent urge to know that we are not alone, and like us there are several others going through a similar problem. What self-help books do best, in my opinion, is to link two relatively unknown souls on a relatively common platform, thus providing individuals a scope to know about another person’s experience in a similar situation. And with self-help books being a fad these days, just about anyone, who experiences a sapience, wishes to be lauded for his/her pearls of wisdom. At a glance, these books could be works of pure fiction or they could actually hint towards a deeper understanding of oneself. After all, it’s self-discovery, that these books aim at, isn’t it?

Scope for Introspection

From time immemorial, saints and sages have talked about man’s ardent desire to search for the ultimate truth, the truth about themselves. Even authors like Mitch Albom, Anthony Robbins, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, etc., have talked about self introspection in their works. Besides, man’s inquisitive nature, and thirst for his spiritual existence leads him to nirvana. Most of the self-help books are written with the sole intention of leading an individual deeper into oneself. Man’s yearning to break free from all the bonds and seek solace within is known to almost everyone, and this yearning leads him to one of the self-help books that mediate him to dig deeper into the self. In the words of Neale, “The deepest secret is that life is not a process of discovery, but a process of creation. You are not discovering yourself, but creating yourself anew. Seek, therefore, not to find out Who You Are, seek to determine Who You Want to Be”.

A Ray of Hope

According to the trend observed in markets, individuals rush to pick a copy of self-help books especially to soothe themselves when faced with difficult situations. Books that deal with facing depression, tackling anxiety attacks, developing friendship, etc., have definitely seen a rise, but are they worth the money? Basically, what you and I do, is run to people for advice in a relatively sticky situation and what better way to do that than to open a book and read for yourself. Most of us consider these books to be the greatest source of wisdom; but a thought to ponder on is imperative. Before you venture to the store and pick up a book, ask yourself, if it is practical to apply all the implications to your situation. Or are you simply confusing yourself further by referring to a thousand books? If you look at the book just as a light in the dark, there is a possibility that it could flicker off too. It’s true that self-help books are designed to guide you, but if not applied in practical life, it could be misleading too. Think about it.

Real or Placebo Effect

Heraclitus says, “Change is the only constant”, and self-help books are intended to bring about a change in perception. But how far is this change perceivable? If we as seekers with a clear purpose in mind, turn to self-help books, then it can play an instrumental role to bring about the desired change. Self-help books point out the importance of our relationships with one another, which are correlated with happiness and inner well-being; it is in all cases, subjective to the individual. One question you should ask yourself when referring to a self-help book is, is this for real or a mere placebo effect? Bear in mind that what works well for your friend may not work for you, or for any other individual for that matter. As mentioned earlier, change is the only constant, and all of us are subconsciously changing every moment of our lives. As believed, self-help books can have a desired outcome, only if you as an individual implement the information in your practical everyday life.

Tread with Caution

By all means yes, this is the ultimate warning. Self-help books can offer wonderful advice, but are you ready to accept facts and make a lasting impact on your life? All self-help books talk about is, taking the step forward and being the change that you always want to have in your life. All valid confusion can be literally wiped away, if we condition our minds to think in the way, that is written about. The whole purpose of a self-help book may be lost if you do not condition your old ways and tune in to the new. Besides, it is always best to remember that, not every advice written in these books can be applied in practical life. Would you blindly trust a stranger telling you that your actions prove you insane? If your answer is negative, then you ought to give a serious thought to follow every single advice meted out in a self-help book. After all, even though we are created from the same earth, not all of us think and behave in the same way.

As for me, self-help books serve as a great tool to know where, I as an individual, am heading in life. Self-help books, for me, are a source of information and a medium for self introspection. You are free to differ in your opinion, for after all, life is what you perceive it to be and no one is born with a forced will.