Most of us dream of a business that allows us to work from the comforts of home.  We buy books on Home Business Ideas, we search Google for Home Business Ideas and we dream about the perfect business that will allow us to have the money and freedom we think we deserve.  For many of us, the thought of a home based business is the pinnacle of success.  It would allow us to wake up whenever we want, work in our PJ’s, spend more time with our family and save on the cost of fuel and food. More importantly though, our dream home based business would allow us to escape the “Rat Race” that we face everyday.  No longer would we have to sit in rush hour traffic or fight through snow and ice to reach our office.  Gone will be the demanding bosses, ringing phones and office gossip.  In its place . . . our loving family, solitude and peace of mind.

Hours upon hours every week we search for home business ideas.  Like a trained dog, our ears perk up anytime we hear talk of someone who has succeeded in a home based business.  We remember stories of various business entrepreneurs who started their multi-million dollar company from the basement of their two bedroom home.  It’s all around us, stories and examples, yet we’re still searching.  The perfect home business idea has yet to materialize.

As an entrepreneur with several businesses, I can almost guarantee you that, although your hopes and ambitions are in the right place, your resolve is not.  If you have been talking with friends and family for years about “starting over” or creating a different lifestyle, yet have failed to do so because the perfect opportunity has not presented itself, your life will never change.  There is no such thing as the perfect home business idea.  As a matter-of-fact, no start up business or business venture will even be close to “great” until we make a conscience effort to make it better.   Hard work, unwavering determination and complete dedication are the traits necessary to succeed in any business, to include a home based business.

So what about all the great benefits of working from home?  What about your dreams of waking up at 10:00am to read the paper and drink a cup of coffee?  How about your plans to work at your home office primarily at night so you can spend time with the family during the day?

Searching through the thousands of home business ideas that might afford you this type of lifestyle, most only look good on paper or on an internet sales page.  Quite honestly, in my experiences with home based business, working from home requires more time and effort than a traditional job centered around an office environment.

Often, a home business is confused with a business that makes residual income, commonly referred to as a residual income business.  To learn more about creating a residual income, please visit KeyBusinessIdeas.com.  Whereas as residual income business pays you often and repeatedly for work performed once, a home business typically requires your constant attention and pays you only once after a product or service has been delivered.  Many of the home business ideas you will find throughout the internet are actually residual income businesses.  Although a residual income business is typically run from home, there are distinct differences in the two and they should not be confused.   Most of us who have some business knowledge or the ability to learn how to be a business owner would have no problem setting up and running a home based business.  A residual income business on the other hand requires an entirely different skill set that the average business owner would probably not possess.

Following is a list of home business ideas that have proven very successful if managed properly:

• Commercial Cleaning Business
• Crime Scene Cleanup Business
• Security Guard Company
• Private Investigations Firm
• Power Washing Business
• Accounting Firm
• Daycare
• Lawn Care Service
• Home Staging Business
• Vending Machine Business

As with any new business venture, you must make sure there is a market for your business.  And, you must make sure the market is not over-saturated.  Too many people offering the same types of services or products will certainly lesson the impact of any marketing or advertising efforts you put forth.

Of the business ideas listed above, Crime Scene Cleanup is one of the most interesting.  Although death and accidents involving blood and bodily fluids are a common occurrence in every city, there are relatively few crime scene cleanup companies in existence.  While most people believe that police officers and medical personnel remove the contaminated furnishings and clothing from a crime or accident scene, this work is contracted out to crime scene cleanup companies.  And, it’s a very high paying industry.  While the actual cleanup technicians receive $25 to $40 per hour, the companies they work for charge anywhere between $100 and $400 per hour.

Please click this link Crime Scene Cleanup to learn more about this lucrative and exciting home business idea.

Home business ideas are all around us.  Take time to explore the idea you choose thoroughly before committing both time and resources to a business that may not be suitable for you or your goals.

What if you could make money while you sleep?  Or how about a nice little paycheck every day you’re on vacation, and you don’t have to do a thing for it!  We’re not talking about sick time or vacation pay you have worked so hard for at your full-time job.  What I mean is a completely new source of income, commonly referred to as passive income or residual income.  Although the legal definition of these two types of income vary slightly, both refer to income that you receive on a regular basis for work you’ve done once.  For example, an author writes a book and receives royalties for years after the book is published.  Have you ever thought of all the different ways to make a residual or passive income? Last week I launched a new website, KeyBusinessIdeas.com.  Through this website, you can now learn how to make a residual or passive income.  As a matter of fact, I’ve practically given away the secret!  Although the site is not yet finished, there’s enough information about residual income opportunities and how to build residual income that you would be doing yourself a grave injustice by not visiting the site.

Unless you’ve lived in a cave most of your adult life, or haven’t used the internet since 1975, you’ve seen stories of people who make thousands of dollars every week through the internet.  A lot of these entrepreneurs are selling products that they have to worry about stocking and shipping out every time an order comes in.  However, there are many who are making six figures a year and do absolutely nothing to receive it.  Granted at one point they had to write an eBook, create a business directory, a dating site or an audio tape series on how to pick up women at a bar, but now they’re sitting on a beach laughing at those of you who have to work every day for every dollar you make.  With passive income, you get paid every day of the week, fifty-two weeks a year, whether you want to or not!

Building a residual income home business and creating passive income isn’t hard to do.  You don’t have to have a college degree or any computer experience.  You can learn everything you need to know at KeyBusinessIdeas.com.  I have all of the books and links you need to get started.  And, all of the information I give you is absolutely free.  “Why is it free”, you ask?  Because I want others to enjoy the same type of lifestyle I’ve become accustomed to.  I’ve spent a good deal of time teaching my family members and friends how to earn a passive income and to seek out residual income business opportunities.  Now I want to share the wealth with others.  It’s as simple as that.

Stop working so hard!  Learn how to create a passive income (residual income, leveraged income) and start enjoying more freedom to live life to its fullest.

I will preface this post with a disclaimer.  I am not an expert with regards to merchant accounts or payment processors, nor am I an expert with regards to internet companies that accept credit cards or use third party vendors to process their payments.  However, I am an expert when it comes to my websites, the products I sell and the conversion rate that I track on a daily basis.

For nearly 15 years, I have used the internet in some fashion to generate sales, either directly or indirectly.  About six months ago, I put an eBook online, with hopes of capturing a predetermined amount of sales, resulting in a predetermined amount of revenue.  As always, I used my trusty PayPal account to process the credit card orders. Although sales were good during the first two months, they slowly dwindled to just a few orders each month. Although I had a few customers contact me with regards to their credit cards being rejected by PayPal, I didn’t think a lot of it.  But, as sales began to decline, I started giving it some thought.  So, I decided to purchase my own eBook from my very own website with my own valid credit card.  DECLINED!  Ok I thought, must be a fluke . . . so I tried my bank card.  DECLINED! I started doing some research as to why two valid credit cards, with plenty of room to purchase an inexpensive eBook, would be declined. From what I could determine, it had something to do with the PayPal servers and the amount of traffic at that particular moment.  Basically the servers were on overload and couldn’t find the time to process anymore credit cards.

About a week later, at a different time of day, I repeated the same process described above and was declined again.  Now in between these two rejections, I was able to complete a successful transaction, using one of the same credit cards that had previously been declined.  Now concerned that many of my potential customers were experiencing the same thing, I conducted a Google search for 2Checkout vs. PayPal.  Wow, the amount of information was almost overwhelming.  As I read page after page of pros and cons for both companies, the argument for or against either seemed to center around the cost to use 2Checkout vs. the cost of PayPal.  Granted, 2Checkout does charge a one time upfront fee and their per transactions fees are a bit higher, however what’s the cost of customers not being able to complete transactions with PayPal?

Fast forward to four days after switching over to 2Checkout.com and my sales have increased by almost double.  Coincidence?  I’ll let you know in about a month.

• Reading: "Bio-Trauma 911, Inc. – Crime Scene Cleanup – Crime Scene Cleanup & Janitorial Directory" (http://twitthis.com/2fdn5u) #

Crime scene cleanup is a business that few have heard of.  Even fewer know that these companies charge between $125 to $400 per hour for their services.  And, nearly all of the work is paid for by insurance companies!

Crime scene cleanup is a niche market within the janitorial or cleaning industry. Although sometimes referred to as “CTS Decon” (crime and trauma scene decontamination) it’s more widely referred to as “Crime Scene Cleanup”.   For the past twenty years, companies involved with the crime scene cleanup industry have been helping families who have been traumatized by the loss of a loved one or a dear friend.

Although the name “crime scene cleanup” implies the cleanup of scenes affiliated with a criminal act, a good majority of the work is not crime related. A crime scene cleanup company can be thought of as the janitorial crew that cleans up after the fire department or police department leaves the scene.  If you think of all the different types of calls received by either department, especially those involving blood and bodily fluids, these are the same type of calls received by crime scene cleanup companies.  Some of these calls for service may involve:

• Homicide
• Suicide
• Accidents
• Natural Death
• Decomposition
• Meth Labs
• Mold
• Odor

Of the partial list above, only two of the possible cleanup scenes involve an actual crime.

Crime scene cleanup technicians clean the remains of a body after it has been removed by the authorities or after the person is taken to a hospital.  Over 25% of all deaths in the United States requires some type of assistance to clean the scene once the body is removed.  The work is considered dangerous, since bodily fluids can be affected with HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis, Tuberculosis or several other types of disease or illness causing organisms.

When a death or injury resulting in the loss of blood or bodily fluids occurs, the home owner or responsible party will contact a crime scene cleanup company to remove the biohazards and to restore the scene to pre-incident condition.  Crime scene cleanup technicians must have the proper training to properly locate and dispose of, in an approved manner, all contaminated materials.  Proper training will ensure that technicians realize a small amount of surface contamination typically means a much larger area of contamination underneath.  For example, a baseball size puddle of blood on a carpet usually means there is at least a tire size puddle of blood on the padding and underlayment.  Furthermore, additional investigation often reveals blood has reached the floor joists and has run underneath a nearby wall.

Crime scene cleanup technicians should have some construction knowledge and should be able to replace flooring and drywall.  They are able to remain emotionally detached from the scene and the events precluding their arrival.  Crime scene cleanup technicians must be emotionally stable, have a strong stomach and the ability to communicate effectively with grieving family members.

The crime scene cleanup industry is not for everyone.  If you think you may be interested in this type of work, please take time to visit www.keybusinessideas.com/crime-scene-cleanup.html.  Their eBook “Crime & Trauma Scene Cleanup for Business Owners” is a great reference for anyone looking to get into this industry.

For over forty years, Star Trek has captured our hearts and our imaginations.  Although the original series of Star Trek only aired for three seasons, 1966 to 1969, no other TV series has led to eleven feature films and four related TV series.  Gene Roddenberry was certainly a man ahead of his time, with an imagination that may not have been fully understood or accepted by his viewing audience in the late 1960s.  Although Gene’s humble and innocent predictions of space stations, flip phones, big screen TVs and web cameras are quite impressive, do you think he ever envisioned his fans searching for Star Trek computer sound through an Internet search engine called Google?

Star Trek computer sounds have been a hot search item since sounds were first uploaded to the Internet.  As a matter of fact, I think I downloaded my very first Star Trek computer sound about fifteen years ago.   So what is it about Star Trek that we feel so compelled to search for and download computer sounds?   Didn’t Star Wars have some neat sounds too?  How about Raiders of the Lost Ark, Aliens or Close Encounter of the Third Kind?  I suppose, looking back at the history of Star Trek, and how it was present during my entire childhood and through my early adult life, nothing really compares.  It’s not the Star Trek computer sound we’re really after, it’s the forgotten memories we relive when we hear “beam me up Scotty” or “Captain’s log star date 1709″.  Other movies and televisions series come and go, but not Star Trek.  Even today, forty-three years after its first episode on TV, we can go to the movie theatre and relive (albeit a different cast and crew) the journeys and sagas of the Starship Enterprise.  Certainly “live long and prosper” Star Trek has done!

For those of you, like me many years ago, searching for “Star Trek Computer Sound”, here is what I have to offer.  Now, before you download this file (.zip file) understand that there are only ten (10) Star Trek sounds in the file.  If you are looking for a particular sound, not present in this file, please let me know.  I have thousands of additional sound files I can search to see if I have the sound you need.

Star Trek Computer Sounds

Growing up, I remember telling ghost stories around the camp fire.  Throughout my life, I’ve heard a variety of ghost stories, never really giving any of them much credit.  Here’s a ghost story that’s absolutely true.  How do I know you ask?  Because it’s happening to me!

Several years ago, I met my wife.  During the early part of our dating relationship, she would occasionally say something like, “did I ever tell you about the time . . . “.  Why yes I wanted to say, several times as a matter of fact, but as a good boyfriend I would respond, “no I haven’t heard about that”.  So she would continue telling me about the time when she was young and her deceased grandmother spoke through her little sister.  Or the time when a full glass of water flew out of her hands, while her other sisters looked on, paralyzed with fear.  My wife would tell me about the long conversations her four year old sister would have with her deceased relatives, while sitting in a corner behind a recliner.

Ghost stories, that’s all they were.  Young girls with wild imaginations and too much free time during the summer.

Now, several years later, I now believe these ghost stories may have been very real!

While we dated, my wife and I would spend most of our time at her house.  Nothing unusual for the first few months, only an occasional noise or two that had no apparent reason or source.  Then one day, while we were in the back bedroom, we heard something fall.  Walking out to the living room to investigate, we found a heavy metal picture frame laying on its face.  This frame had been sitting on a book shelf, leaning back at about a 30 degree angle.  The only way it could have been laying on its face was if it had been pushed from the back.  Although strange, we dismissed it and didn’t give it much thought.

Several days later, several board games came crashing down from a shelf in a guest bedroom closet.  Days after that, my wife came home to find her wine bottles had “fallen” out of a counter top wine rack.  More unexplained noises were heard, shadows seen under the bedroom door . . . people seemed to be in the house, when we were the only two.

We placed a bible on the kitchen table, but evidently it wasn’t on the right page, as pages would be turned.  Not until we hung a cross, blessed by a Catholic Priest, did the strange occurrences end.  Several months later, we married and moved out of her house and into a new house that was being built.

Nothing more was ever said about the strange happenings at my wife’s old house.  We were quite comfortable in our new house, which was only about a mile away from the house we moved from.  Except for a few unexplained noises, which we chalked up to the settling of a new house, all seemed well.  Until just a few days ago!

While working in my basement office late at night, I often hear my wife get up to use the bathroom.  The sound of distant footsteps can be heard coming from the far side of the house, easily recognizable as a late night trip to the potty.  A couple nights ago I heard footsteps that were much louder and much closer, almost directly above me in the living room.  Thinking my wife was having trouble sleeping, I immediately walked upstairs, only to find my wife sound asleep.  I gently nudged her awake to ask if she had just been walking around and all I got  in response was a faint “ugh”.  The next morning I asked her again and she said that maybe she had got out of bed to use the bathroom, but couldn’t remember.  What I heard wasn’t a typical bathroom visit.

Today, I arrived home at about 6:00pm to find my wife in the bathroom getting ready to go out for dinner.  Without even saying “hello” or “glad your home”, my wife simply said “I heard the footsteps”.  Evidently, while she was working out in the basement at about 5:00pm, she heard someone walking around upstairs and thought I was home.  After yelling upstairs to get my attention, she soon realized I wasn’t home.  The house was empty.

When do ghost stories no longer become just stories, when you become one of the main characters.  My wife doesn’t want to believe in ghosts.  I do believe in ghosts and don’t feel threatened or scared of what may be lurking in our home.  My question is “WHY”.

I need your help.  I’m looking for information about ghosts and their affiliation with families and/or objects.  It seems obvious that this ghost is following my wife.  Since she had experiences as a young girl, this ghost it seems has been with her for many years.  After some investigative work, I did learn that the house we lived in, prior to our new house, sat on or near an old Indian burial ground.  I suppose I could understand hauntings or paranormal activity isolated to that area.  But why has it followed us to our new home?  My wife and I had an unexplained house fire about three weeks ago.  Could it have been caused by an angry ghost.  More about the fire can be read here “House Fire – Be Prepared”.

Any information anyone can provide concerning ghosts, please post in the comments section below.  If you have similar ghost stories to share with us, please feel free to do that as well.

Chinese Astrology provides us with the oldest known method of calculating ones horoscope in the world.  The Chinese calendar astrology or Chinese astrology calendar is one of the most searched terms on the internet.

A horoscope is a persons birth chart.  By using ones place of birth and date of birth, in relationship to the alignment of the sun, moon, various constellations and planetary positions, a horoscope can provide a unique and insightful representation of that person’s life.  Horoscopes, just like fingerprints, are different for every person.  Therefore, a skilled astrologer can provide very specific and often very accurate details of a person’s past, present and future life events.  The more specific one is about the exact time he or she was born, the more accurate the horoscope will be.Chinese Astrology has been traced back to the Huang Ti Dynasty in the year 2637 BC, although some speculate it was during the Han Dynasty. Unlike the traditional western style astrology method, which is based on the solar calendar, the Chinese method is based on the lunar calendar.  According to Wikipedia, Chinese refer to the five major planets according to the Wu Xing (Five Movements, Five Phases or Five Steps/Stages, traditionally translated as Five Elements) they were associated with.

• Venus – Metal (White Tiger)
• Jupiter – Wood (Azure Dragon)
• Mercury – Water (Black Tortoise)
• Mars – Fire (Vermilion Bird)
• Saturn – Earth (Yellow Dragon)

According to Chinese astrology, a person’s destiny can be determined by the position of the major planets at the person’s birth along with the positions of the Sun, Moon and comets and the person’s time of birth and Zodiac Sign. The system of the twelve-year cycle of animal signs was built from observations of the orbit of Jupiter. Following the orbit of Jupiter around the sun, Chinese astronomers divided the celestial circle into 12 sections, and rounded it to 12 years. A laborious system of computing one’s fate and destiny based on one’s birthday,birth season,and birth hours, known as Zi Wei Dou Shu (a form of fortune-telling in Chinese culture) is still used regularly in modern day Chinese astrology to divine one’s fortune. The 28 Chinese constellations, Xiu , are quite different from the 88 Western constellations. For example, the Big Bear (Ursa Major) is known as Dou; the belt of Orion is known as Shen, or the “Happiness, Fortune, Longevity” trio of demigods. The seven northern constellations are referred to as Xuan Wu. Xuan Wu is also known as the spirit of the northern sky or the spirit of Water in Taoism belief.

In addition to astrological readings of the heavenly bodies, the stars in the sky form the basis of many fairy tales. For example, the Summer Triangle is the trio of the cowherd (Altair), the weaving maiden fairy (Vega), and the “tai bai” fairy (Deneb). The two forbidden lovers were separated by the silvery river (the Milky Way). Each year on the seventh day of the seventh month in the Chinese calendar, the birds form a bridge across the Milky Way. The cowherd carries their two sons (the two stars on each side of Altair) across the bridge to reunite with their fairy mother. The tai bai fairy acts as the chaperon of these two immortal lovers.

Chinese calendar astrology or Chinese astrology calendar is a yearly one, with the start of the year being based on the cycles of the moon.  Due to cyclical changes of the moon, the start of the new year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February.  A complete cycle takes sixty years and is made of five cycles, each comprised of twelve years.

The Chinese lunar calendar or Chinese astrology (Chinese Calendar Astrology) names each of the twelve year cycles after animals.  The Chinese calendar astrology or zodiac is as follows:

• Rat (1972, 1984, 1996, 2008) – Occupying the 1st and most prominent position on the Chinese Zodiac, the Rat symbolizes such character traits as curiosity, wit and imagination.  Rats have keen observation skills with which they are able to deduce much about other people and other situations.  Rats are full of energy, talkative and charming but they have a tendency to become aggressive.
• Ox (1973, 1985, 1997, 2009) – Occupying the 2nd position on the Chinese Zodiac, Oxen possess such character traits as dependability, determination and strength. Oxen are tolerant individuals who believe that the road to success involves hard work and precise behavior; taking shortcuts is not an option. They characterize those who don’t work hard as lazy individuals not worthy of respect. Oxen are capable of trusting others and will listen to their opinions with an open mind. However, Oxen prefer making decisions that are based on their own research. Oxen favor strong, life-long alliances to casual acquaintances.  Home is where Oxen go to seek comfort. They prefer the outdoors and spend the majority of their time at home working in the garden or caring for the yard.
• Tiger (1974, 1986, 1998, 2010) - Occupying the 3rd position on the Chinese Zodiac, the Tiger symbolizes such character traits as competitiveness, bravery and unpredictability. Tigers love to be challenged and will accept any challenge if it means protecting a loved one or protecting their honor.  Tigers don’t worry about the outcome because they know they’ll always land on their feet.  Be wary, Tigers will pounce when they feel it’s necessary.  Born to lead, Tigers can be stubborn if they realize they’re not in charge. They have a slight tendency to be selfish but overall, Tigers are extremely generous. They’re very intelligent and they’re always on alert. Tigers are very charming and are well-liked by others. They are not motivated by money or power.
• Rabbit (1975, 1987, 1999, 2011) - Occupying the 4th position in the Chinese Zodiac, the Rabbit symbolizes such character traits as creativity, compassion, and sensitivity. Rabbits are friendly, outgoing and prefer the company of others. They prefer to avoid conflict and in confrontational situations, they will approach calmly and with consideration for the other party. Rabbits believe strongly in friends and family and lacking such bonds can lead to emotional issues. Their serene nature keeps Rabbits from becoming visibly upset. Because they’re serene animals, Rabbits are easily taken advantage of. Their sensitive nature makes them shy away from aggressive or competitive situations. They’re overall conservative and not interested in taking risks. Classy, sophisticated, expressive, well-mannered and stylish, those born under the Sign of the Rabbit enjoy leaning about cultural issues and learning about people from other countries.  Rabbits are most comfortable being home, and their homes are always neat and organized. Home is also where Rabbits prefer to entertain. Rabbits are conservative in their decorating tastes. Rabbits should work at building more self-confidence and self-worth so they can feel more secure. The desire for remaining in safe, comfortable environments keeps Rabbits from taking risks which sometimes causes them to miss out on good opportunities.
  
• Dragon (1976, 1988, 2000, 2012) – Occupying the 5th position in the Chinese Zodiac, the Dragon is the mightiest of the signs. Dragons symbolize such character traits as ambition and dominance. Dragons prefer to live by their own rules and if left on their own, are usually successful. They’re driven, unafraid of challenges, and willing to take risks. They’re passionate in all they do and they do things in grand fashion. Unfortunately, this passion and enthusiasm can leave Dragons feeling exhausted and unfulfilled. While Dragons frequently help others, rarely will they ask for help. Others are attracted to Dragons, especially their colorful personalities, but deep down, Dragons prefer to be alone. Perhaps that is because they’re most successful when working alone. Their preference to be alone can come across as arrogance or conceitedness, but these qualities aren’t applicable. Dragons have tempers that can flare fast!
  
• Snake (1977, 1989, 2001, 2013) - Occupying the 6th position in the Chinese Zodiac, the Snake symbolizes such character traits as intelligence, materialism and gracefulness. When it comes to decision-making, Snakes are extremely analytical and seldom just jump into situations. They are effective at getting the things they want, even if it means they have to scheme and plot along the way. Snakes are very materialistic creatures, preferring to surround themselves with the finest that life has to offer. This is especially evident in the home, where luxurious furnishings and surroundings help Snakes seek the peace they need in order to thrive.
  
• Horse (1978, 1990, 2002, 2014) - Occupying the 7th position on the Chinese Zodiac, the Horse symbolizes such character traits as strength, energy, and an outgoing nature. Extremely animated, Horses thrive when they are the center of attention.  Always in search of a good time, Horses keep the crowds happy with their humor and their wit. Horses are extremely intelligent and are able to grasp new subjects with ease. They’re also capable of multi-tasking however they don’t always finish what they start because they’re forever chasing the next opportunity. Horses are honest, friendly and open-minded. They’re perhaps a bit too centered on themselves and have been known to throw tantrums when situations don’t go their way.
  
• Goat (1979, 1991, 2003, 2015) - Occupying the 8th position in the Chinese Zodiac, the Goat (or Sheep) symbolizes such character traits as calmness, creativity, intelligence and dependability. Comfortable being alone to ponder the workings of their inner minds, Goats enjoy being part of a group, but prefer the sidelines rather than the center. Their nurturing personality makes Goats excellent care-givers. They’re quite and reserved because they spend much time absorbed in their thoughts. Home and alone is where Goats feel most comfortable. There they can express themselves artistically, whether it’s by painting, cooking or participating in whatever artistic endeavors they enjoy. Goats prefer the couch because there they can relax and explore their minds. Goats don’t need elaborate furnishings, only items reflecting their desire for art.  When traveling or seeking entertainment, Goats prefer groups or venues that hold many people. Goats spend money on fashions that give them a first class appearance, however they are not snobbish.
  
• Monkey (1980, 1992, 2004, 2016) - Occupying the 9th position on the Chinese Zodiac, the Monkey possesses such character traits as curiosity, mischievousness, and cleverness. Forever playful, Monkeys are the masters of practical jokes. Even though their intentions are always good, this desire to be a prankster has a tendency to create ill will and hurt feelings.  Monkeys are inherently intellectual and creative but at times have trouble exhibiting these qualities. When that happens, they appear to others to be confused. Monkeys prefer urban life to rural, and their favorite pastime is people-watching.
  
• Rooster (1981, 1993, 2005, 2017) - Occupying the 10th position in the Chinese Zodiac, the Rooster symbolizes such character traits as confidence, pompousness and motivation. Those born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Rooster are loyal, trustworthy individuals who are blunt when it comes to offering their opinions. Their bluntness stems not from being mean but from being honest; a trait which Roosters expect from others.  Roosters are extremely sociable and prefer being the center of attention, always bragging about themselves and their accomplishments. They continually seek the unwavering attention of others which can be annoying.  Roosters are as proud of their homes as they are of themselves. They’re extremely organized individuals as evidenced by the fact that their homes are always neat.
  
• Dog (1982, 1994, 2006, 2018) - Occupying the 11th position in the Chinese Zodiac, the Dog symbolizes character traits such as loyalty, kindness and compatibility. Dogs frequently offer kind words and useful advice, always listen and lend a shoulder when necessary. Dogs often become deeply involved in others’ lives and are sometimes perceived as nosy. Ensuring others are happy is more important to the Dog than wealth, money or success. Dogs are determined individuals; always wanting to master a new subject before moving on and always finishing what they start. Dogs value friendships; they’re loyal, honest, trustworthy and reliable and have strong morals and ethics. A well-kept, organized home is very important. Keeping a clean home and helping at work stems from the Dog’s need to be active and involved. Dogs spend money wisely, passing on luxury goods in favor of practical items. Dogs also prefer saving money to cover future expenses. Dogs at times can also be temperamental, narrow-minded and stubborn. When this happens, the Dog takes off alone in order to make things right again inside its head. Dogs can benefit by learning to relax and being more rational.
  
• Pig (1983, 1995, 2007, 2019) - Occupying the last position in the Chinese Zodiac, the 12th, the Pig symbolizes such character traits as diligence, compassion, and generosity. Pigs enjoy life and because they are entertaining, others enjoy their company. Pigs are giving souls and reap much enjoyment when they’re helping others, but sometimes they give too much. Honesty is what Pigs give and it’s what they expect to receive in return.  Pigs seek peace and will do what is necessary to maintain it. This trait, while admirable, sometimes makes it easy for others to take advantage of Pigs.  Pigs are always doing for others, helping anyway they can, but rarely will they ask others for help. This can overwhelm and stress them, but Pigs don’t mind. When it comes to money, Pigs enjoy spending more than saving. They gravitate towards name brand items. Thriftiness happens only occasionally, but Pigs do know how to find great deals.
  

For even more information about Chinese Astrology or Chinese calendar astrology you may want to visit Chinapage.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

So you need to know how many people does a sheet cake feed?  There are few things that must be considered when trying to calculate how many people a sheet cake can feed.

• I suppose the number one thing to consider is the size of the sheet cake.  There is no standard it appears for the size of a sheet cake.  Depending on who you talk to, the size can range from 12 x 24 inches up to 24 x 36 inches.
  
• Number two might be how thick the sheet cake will be.  A one layer sheet cake will be 1″ thick.  If you add a filling, you will have two 1″ layers with filling between for a sheet cake that is approximately 3″ tall.
  
• And, the third thing to consider is how big of a slice each guest will receive.   If you have a single layer cake, you might want to consider cutting your pieces at 1×3 inches each.  If you have a double layer cake, your pieces may be reduced to 1×2 inches.  I personally prefer keeping everything squared with 2×2 inch cake pieces.

So we still haven’t answered “how many people does a sheet cake feed?”  Here are a couple of formulas to work with.

• Let’s assume you have a 12 x 24 inch sheet cake.  You are going to serve pieces that are 2×2 inches squared.  Your total cake size is 288 inches divided by 4 inches (each cake piece is 2×2=4). This will allow you to cut 72 pieces of cake.
  
• If you have a sheet cake that measures 24 x 36 inches, you will have a total of 864 inches of cake.  You wish to serve cake pieces measured 1×3 inches each.  Divide 864 x 3 (each cake piece) and you will have a total of 288 pieces of cake.

The height of the sheet cake will not be used in your calculation.  If should only be used to help determine the size of each individual piece.  The taller the cake, the small each piece may be, since two layers will give them more “vertical” cake.

To figure how many people does a sheet cake feed, you may first want to figure how many people you have to feed.  Then use the simple equation above to figure out how big a cake you need to make.

Hope this helps.

disclaimer:  I am not a baker or a chef.  The calculations above should be verified by an independent source with professional knowledge of cake sizes and cutting methods.  I can not be held responsible for a shortage of cake at your next wedding, baby shower, birthday party, bar mitzva, graduation celebration or any other event that may require the use of a sheet cake.  Please remember, when cutting any object, to be extremely cautious with the use of any sharp instrument (namely knives, axes and chain saws).

For the past four years, Jon and Kate Gosselin have lived their lives in front of millions of viewers.  As if raising eight children isn’t hard enough, evidently Jon and Kate thought adding a production schedule to the mix would be helpful.  Sure, money is tight and the added income would be helpful, but at what expense?  Thousands of Americans are searching the internet for “Jon Kate Divorce Rumor”.  Well, if you caught the premier of the fifth season, I think you can start searching for “Jon Kate Divorce”.

Whether publicised or not, divorce for any family is nearly identical.  Mom and dad can’t work out their differences and the children become innocent victims.  Dad gets stuck giving mom most of his paycheck for support and insurance, mom fights to keep the kids except for every other weekend and the battle continues until all the kids are grown up.  Mom and dad go back and forth to court because they can’t solve their own problems. Mom grows to hate dad and dad grows to hate mom.  The children grow up in a broken dysfunctional family, hearing every day from each parent how bad the other parent is.

Who knows if Jon and Kate could have made it, if not in the public eye.  I personally believe they would have had a better chance.  Just like the Jon Kate divorce rumor and rumors of infidelity, so many other rumors have been started about the personalities of both Jon and Kate.  None of us know for sure who was worse to whom.  And truthfully, it doesn’t matter.  Jon and Kate were once in love and probably remained in love after all of their children were born.  So when and why did it end?  I would venture to guess it was sometime around season two.  But, maybe it was season three. Not quite sure, I missed quite a few episodes so I’m not quite sure when the marriage started its downward spiral.  To be quite honest, I missed nearly every episode of every season.  I thought it was a horrible show and only served to do irreparable harm to Jon and Kate, but more importantly to the children.  What a terrible injustice to the sanctity of marriage and parenthood.

A family, regardless of its size, is not meant to live in the spotlight.  Look at the divorce rate for Hollywood actors, nearly 100%.  Raising a family successfully requires a type of bonding that can only be achieved behind closed doors.  Jon and Kate surrendered that when they invited an entire production team into their house for four years to document every argument, every family dinner, every vacation, every hello and every goodbye.  I’m no psychologist, but I feel safe in saying that the children haven’t had a normal upbringing.  How many times do you think the kids heard the words “ACTION” and “CUT”.  Remember, this is a production.  Not everything you see on TV was shot on the first take.

So are Jon and Kate destined to be divorced parents raising eight children?  Unless a quick and decisive change is made, the Jon Kate Divorce Rumor will become more than just a rumor.  I wish them both the best of luck, for the children certainly deserve a less chaotic childhood than what they’ve received thus far.

What are your opinions on the Jon Kate Divorce Rumor?  Do you think they need to find  a way out of filming a fifth season of Jon and Kate Plus 8?  Or, do you feel that all of this divorce talk is just a way to boost ratings?  Remember, it is a TV show and ratings are important.