Kids Party Tips From Ages 1 to 10

Planning a kids party is all about great ideas. So take advantage of the list I've put together below! Be sure to take a look at all the ages as many of the tips will work for any kids party!

1st Birthday

1) Popular Kids Party Themes - Elmo, Farm Animals, Abby Caddaby, One Is Fun, Lady Bug
2) Bubble Machine instead of live entertainment - toddlers love bubbles.
3) Keep the party short. 1 1/2 hours is the max for a kids party at this age.
4) If there is only babies at the party then they can not play party games but the adults can so have a couple of party games for the adults. You'll have everyone laughing.
5) Of course you will take plenty of pictures of the birthday boy / girl and guests but do not forget to take pictures of the decorations and cake. It's a good idea to take pictures of both before the party starts. You want evidence of all that hard work!

2nd Birthday

1) Popular Kids Party Themes - Yo Gabba Gabba, Cupcake Party, Little Einstein, Circus, Unicorn
2) Music - Kids love music at this age. Play popular toddler music that they will recognize (Hot Dog, Hot Diggity Dog from the Mickey Mouse Club, the theme music to Little Einstein, Sesame Street song) and watch the kids dance!
3) Keep the party short. 2 hours is the max.
4) Plan the party around your child's temperament. If your child is a bit shy then invite a few relatives and keep it simple. If your child is a party animal and loves attention then invite friends and family.
5) Play simple games like Simon Says, Ring Around the Rosie and duck duck goose.

3rd Birthday

1) Popular Kids Party Themes - Hot Wheels, CARs - The Movie, Backyardigans, Go Diego, Dora the Explorer
2) Get your child involved. Let him pick the theme or help make invitations. At this age children love to be helpful.
3) Get the timing right - An early to mid afternoon party is fine. By late afternoon the tots are usually getting cranky.
4) Entertainer - At this age you can consider live entertainment. Some good choices are a puppet show, magician, balloon modeling or a face painter.
5) Another great birthday party idea is dress up! Kids love to dress up at this age. Provide an area with some old clothes the tots can play in. They will love this activity.

4th Birthday

1) Popular Kids Party Themes - Dinosaur Friends, Fire Fighter, Princess Party, Mickey Mouse Club, Madagascar
2) Plan in Advance - Today's children have busy schedules. Between the various classes and play dates some kids are booked months in advance. Therefore be sure to give the parents of your child's closest friends the date of the party well in advance.
3) Craft projects - At this age kids are able to take direction and participate in craft projects. Here's one fun idea - Have an Art show! Provide an area with craft supplies such as stickers, glitter, crayons, markers, paint (washable), glue, construction paper, pipe cleaners and anything else they can use to create a masterpiece. Hang their artwork and have an art judging. Award a prize to each child for something unique relating to their art such as best use of color, best drawing of a tree and so on.
4) Kids love parades and what could be more fun than participating in their own parade. Have the kids form their own parade by providing musical instruments (drums, maracas, bells, etc.) and streamers. Have the kids march around the party area singing popular kids songs or the birthday song!
5) Kids at this age (actually any age) have lots of energy. Be sure to have enough activities planned to keep them busy.

5th Birthday

1) Popular Kids Party Themes - Buzz Lightyear, Wizard of Oz, Crafts Party, Pirate Party, Scooby Doo
2) Since your child is in school now you can plan a celebration at school as well as a party at home.

3) For a school party bring cupcakes (note, some schools will only allow store bought food items). Pass out a small goodie bag for each child containing candy and a small toy.
4) For a home party have the children make jewelry out of pasta. Have the kids paint pasta (any pasta with a hole in it will work). When it's dry they can thread yarn through the pasta and wear it!
5) Make sure you get your child's input when it comes to planning the party. At this age your child will be thrilled to see their ideas incorporated into the party.

6th Birthday

1) Popular Kids Party Themes - Gymnastics, Karate, Cheer Party, Nascar, Space Mission Party
2) At this age you may want to consider an all boy or all girl kids party. After the age of 5 girls usually want to do different activities from boys. It's not necessary to have a specific gender party but it can make the planning a bit easier.
3) At this age you can consider having a destination kids party. Kids love parties at fun locales like indoor playgrounds, gymnastics studio, karate studio or Build a Bear.
4) If you're having a kids party at home and the weather permits consider a party rental such as a bounce house or ball pit. Kids at this age can spend hours bouncing or playing in a ball pit.
5) Party games are of course a must try a treasure hunt, hot potato, musical chairs or a relay race. Check out these games as well:

7th Birthday

1) Popular Kids Party Themes - Slumber Party, Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Tea Party
2) A 7th birthday party sees to mark a stone in maturity for kids; they can no longer be looked at as babies. So, if you're going to have a big celebration this is the birthday to do it. Prior to 7 they are too young to truly appreciate it, but this year they will.
3) Consider having a slumber party. Provide activities such as makeovers, doing their nails or Barbie playtime. Allow them to eat junk food and watch a pre-teen movie.
4) For the boys consider having a superhero party. Have the guests dress up as their favorite superhero and provide activities based around Spiderman, Batman, Superman, etc.
5) Party rentals are always a hit such as the bounce house, ball pit, pony rental or a mini put put course.

8th Birthday

1) Popular Kids Party Themes - Bowling, Barbie, Soccer, Baseball, Basketball, Skateboard

2) This is the only age you can plan a figure eight party! Make a figure eight cake - Take 2 round cakes and cut the center out using a glass (frozen cakes work best). Put the 2 cakes together to form a figure eight. Have the party at a skating rink where the kids can practice figure eight skating.
3) A destination party is a good idea at this age as well. Consider American Girl, Dave and Busters or Bowling.
4) Throw a crafts party. Provide all sorts of crafts for the kids to do it can be as simple as building with clay or Legos or painting pictures to jewelry making and model building. Have several different activities so the kids can move around. Be sure to have help with supervision, it can get hectic.
5) Remember to be enthusiastic with every activity and play lots of music. Your enthusiasm will get the kids excited about any activity and music always gets them going!

9th Birthday

1) Popular Kids Party Themes - Star Wars, Glamor Girls, Hawaiian Luau, Harry Potter, Transformers
2) If you have a budding cowboy or girl try a Horse Round Up Party. Provide the kids with bandanas or cowboy hats when they arrive, serve western food such as bbq chicken or burgers western style. Have a pony ride at your house or if possible take the kids to a stable.
3) Here are some unique ideas for live entertainment - caricature artist, karaoke, a water slide, Hip Hop or country singer, costumed characters, kids comedian, impersonator (such as Hannah Montana impersonator), temporary tattoo artist (requests the parents first ), ventriloquist, airbrush t-shirt artist, live animals.
4) Cupcake decorating is a fun activity for kids. Provide already cooked cupcakes along with the fixin's such as frosting (a couple different flavors), sprinkles, candy and writing gel. Let the kids to decorate the cupcakes and then they get to eat their creations!
5) Girls love to play grows up at this age so have a tea party for the girls. Either find a locale that has tea time or do it at your house. Tell the girls in the invitation to dress up and then serve tea and finger sandwiches with the crust cut off. Discuss the ritual behind drinking tea such as putting your pinkie up!

10th Birthday

1) Popular Kids Party Themes - Hanah Montana, Twighligt, Wizards of Waverly Place, American Idol, Jonas
2) This is an ideal age to celebrate your child's birthday at an amusement park. Invite a few friends. The kids are going to be old enough or tall enough to get on many of the rides. And most of the kids probably have experienced an amusement park by now and know what to expect.
3) Plan a chocolate party. What kid does not love chocolate? A chocolate party is simple to plan because everything is chocolate such as chocolate birthday cake, chocolate, favors, chocolate trees, chocolate fondue or even a chocolate fountain.
4) A great place to get favors for girls at this age is Claires or any similar accessory store. You can pick up tons of inexpensive accessories such as clips, barrettes and jewelry.
5) Plan a girly party for your daughter. A girly party would entail manicures and pedicures along with snacks and a fun girly movie such as the Princess Diaries. Have a couple of games or Barbie playtime and your daughter will love it!

Higher Education as Service Trade Exporter In South Africa

Introduction

Whilst it is recognized that South Africa is still in a process of transition regarding higher education to address the imbalances of the past, it should also be emphasized that Institutions of Higher Education in large are still underplaying the importance of higher education as commercialized commodity in the global world. This is reflected in a low commercial higher education presence in the global world, a limited capacity to attract quality students from foreign countries and a national oriented education approach. Even the school law that will soon be introduced in South Africa to address the imbalances of the past may have a negative effect of institutions of higher education to play a significant role in the commercialized educational world. The proposed new law emphasized adherent to the principles of equitability, rectification and representativeness above competency in the appointment of teachers. This may threaten the quality of education firstly, in schools and later in institutions of higher education in South Africa.

This is in sharp contrast with international trends signaling that the international higher education market is becoming more competitive as education competes as export and import commodity. Figures available indicate that higher education export presents on average around 6.6% of total student enrollments in 2000. This figure can still not be matched b South African Institutions 5 years later. In countries like Switzerland, Australia and Austria these figures were above 11% in 2000 making these countries the highest internationalized higher education countries in the world. Similarly, educational services in Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America specifically represent the third, fourth and fifth largest service export sectors. This clearly provides evidence that these countries realize the significance of higher education to transfer intellectual capital and enhance the economic competitiveness of nations.

Interventions required

It is important that Institutions of Higher Education in South Africa position themselves as nodes in an increasingly seamless knowledge base in the global world, which could have a greater interface with the knowledge-driven global economy. Therefore, Institutions of higher education in South Africa should give even more attention to integrate with influential international institutions that will enable them to internationalize higher education.

Currently, internationalization of higher education in South Africa happens more by accident rather than through thoroughly planned and organized approaches. If institutions of higher education in South Africa intend to consider higher education as a commercial trade commodity, serious emphasis should be place upon:

· Introducing purposeful policies and strategies that clearly indicate the road forward with regard to internationalization intentions and the specific areas that would need priority attention. However, this should not be developed as separate internationalization strategies, but should e seen as a natural element of the overall strategy of the institute.

· Implementing induction and course programs that will attract quality foreign students to the institutions.

· Supporting academies to participate in conferences as well as in reputable academic journals to publish research results.

· Ensuring that all course offers meet international accepted criteria as defined by the leading institutions of higher education in the developed world.

· Creating conducive learning environments equipped with the latest learning technologies.

Internationalization requires that institutions of higher education in South Africa should emphasize a certain loosing of the relationship with Government to create new transformational bodies to address the imbalances of the past, but also to broaden this mission to play a more active role in regional economic development. This can be achieved by establishing strong horizontal links with other universities research institutions and industry in the Southern African Development Community. If this can be achieved, the activities of institutions of higher education will no longer be isolated from the marketplace and its outputs could become merchandise products as well. Loosening the relationship with government will not only provide for more freedom to autonomously decide what educational and research outputs to create, but will also increase the pressure on institutions of higher education to perform better as they take up the responsibility to raise funds for projects and salaries .

It is imperative that higher education in South Africa can no longer take the disposition that placed research and development in contrast to one another. Rather, it should take the stand that the outputs of institutions should have a strong:

· Social development and application in which the simultaneous promotion and integration of education, scientific research and production occurs;

· Science and Technology Financial Management Support System in place in order to create a safe and secure research environment for academies; and

· Set of "Key State Laboratories" where research and education of strategic importance to the development and well-being of the country can be carried out.

Conclusion

South Africa institutions of higher education currently rated only among the top 40 of the world's host countries. An urgent need exist to rethink and reformulate the educational thinking models of institutions of higher education in South Africa. Because of the changing political situation accompanied by a changing global economy, many traditional ways in which institutions of higher education were previously governed will change. Without institutions of higher education in South Africa succeed to internationalize successfully, huge opportunities to earn foreign currencies using higher education as a trade commodity will be lost.

Earning Money by Engaging Into CPA Networks

Joining a CPA network may be one of the easiest ways to earn money online. CPA stands for cost-per-action. When you join a CPA network, you earn money by getting prospects to do a specific action the network provides. Usually, the actions will be to buy a free trial of a certain product, give out e-mail address and zip code to become potential buyers and others. Whenever someone takes a particular action, you earn a commission.

CPA networks and affiliate programs are quite similar because both get paid with referrals. But there is a big difference between the two.

In an affiliate program, your referral needs to purchase a product before you can earn a commission. Meanwhile, in CPA, when your referrals fill in a form with their information, fill up a survey, download from a website or purchase a trial product, you earn your responsibilities.

A CPA network also ties advertisers and publishers together. The advertiser provides a site where to fill up the forms and pays the network for the advertising and in turn affiliates get paid for the generating traffic and sign-ups for the advertiser.

If you have a website, you can increase referrals by placing links or buttons in your site to redirect your traffic to an advertiser's website via a CPA network. When a reader clicks on the link on your page and signs up or provide the necessary information on the advertiser's page, you get a commission.

You can also try sending referrals to your mailing list by messaging them a personalized offer and placing the link. When they fill in the needed information, you can earn money.

One of the main reasons for the success of CPA networks is the fact that companies or businesses only have to pay if they can benefit from the advertisement like getting a lead (a potential buyer) or they sold their products. It is based on performance marketing.

For advertisers, the network provides an alternative to paying expensive advertisement and a great option for marketers who are only starting with low funds for advertisement. Some marketers are easily discouraged when advertising expenses are more expensive than the profits they are making that's why the performance-based character of CPA makes it the best choice for advertising for marketers who wants to get what they paid for.

It is also noteworthy to be selective of before joining a network, especially with the number of networks available online.

Research about the network is the key to make sure that you will be investing wisely on the network. You should look out for the network's track record for success, the businesses or companies that are members of the network and other relevant information. It is also best that someone you know will refer you to a certain network that they have already experienced to be a good network. Your investment will pay off well in the end if you choose the right network.

Earning money with CPA networks can be as easy as possible if we put as much time as we can in it.

Is There a Way to Clean Yellowed Nose Pads on Old Prescription Glasses?

Your prescription glasses may look as beautiful as the day you got them, but if your nose pads have begun to yellow, or better yet build up green gunk underneath, they become unsightly when people get close to you. What can you do about this problem? Is there anything you can do to clean yellowed nose pads on your glasses?

Why Nose Pads Turn Yellow

Nose pads are made out of clear plastic. They are in constant contact with your skin, and underneath the plastic the skin often sweats. The sweat, over time, causes the nose pads to turn yellow. On average it takes about one year for the nose pads on your glasses to turn yellow, and you probably want your glasses to last longer than a year, particularly if you are paying a lot for designer eyeglass frames.

Additionally, the reaction between the acidity of the sweat and the metal of the frames can lead to a greenish buildup on the nose pads. This buildup also contains dirt and grime from your skin. It is unsightly, and also quite unsanitary if you stop to think about it.

Can It Be Cleaned?

The answer to whether or not nose pads can be cleaned is yes and no. You can not do much for yellowed nose pads. Unfortunately, once the nose pad has turned yellow, it is permanent. However, the green gunk and grime under the nose pad can be cleaned.

One way to do this is to use a pre moistened alcohol pad. Shove the alcohol pad between the nose pad and the frame, and let some of the alcohol leak onto the nose pads. Then, rinse it off with water.

If this does not work, use a soft-bristled toothbrush, preferably a child-sized one, and scrub the nose pads. You can even remove them if you wish to get them really clean, but make sure you keep careful tabs on the screws if you do, because they are tiny.

Some people who wear eyeglasses claim that soaking them for an hour in soapy water and then rinsing them will remove the gunk that builds up under the nose pads. Again, this will not help with the yellowed plastic, but if you have a buildup it is worth a try.

Consider the Alternative

If you have yellowed nose pads, you do have another alternative. Replacing the nose pads is actually quite affordable. You can pick up a nose pad repair kit at a drug store or your local optometrist, but make sure you have your glasses with you, as there are different kinds available and you will need the right ones.

To do the replacement, start by laying out your supplies on a light colored towel. This will keep the tiny pieces from sliding off of the table. Then, use a jeweler's screwdriver to remove the old pads. Once they are off, use alcohol soaked pads to clean the frames near where they connect to the nose pads. You want all residue removed before you put the new pads on.

Once the glasses are clean, install the new pads using the jeweler's screwdriver. Do so gently, as it is very easy to damage these tender pieces. If you feel resistance when you try to screw in the new screw, take it out and start again.

When you are done, place some clear nail polish or white glue on the screw heads. This way they will not ever slip out, but you can remove them with your screwdriver if you need to later. Do not use strong glues, as this will make it difficult to remove the nose pads when they also turn yellow. When you are done, you will have glasses that look as good as they did the day you bought them, and you will pay very little for the revamped look.

Computer Security, Viruses And Threats

Today, many people rely on computers to do homework, work, and create or store useful information. Therefore, it is important for the information on the computer to be stored and kept properly. It is also extremely important for people on computers to protect their computer from data loss, misuse, and abuse.

For example, it is crucial for businesses to keep information they have secure so that hackers can not access the information. Home users also need to take means to make sure that their credit card numbers are secure when they are participating in online transactions. A computer security risk is any action that could cause loss of information, software, data, processing incompatibilities, or cause damage to computer hardware, a lot of these are planned to do damage. An intentional breach in computer security is known as a computer crime which is slightly different from a cybercrime. A cybercrime is known as illegal acts based on the internet and is one of the FBI's top priorities. There are several distinct categories for people that cause cybercrimes, and they are referred to as hacker, cracker, cyberterrorist, cyberextortionist, unethical employee, script kiddie and corporate spy.

* The Hacker.

The term hacker was actually known as a good word but now it has a very negative view. A hacker is defined as someone who accesses a computer or computer network unlawfully. They often claim that they do this to find leaks in the security of a network.

* The Cracker.

The term cracker has never been associated with something positive this indicates to someone how intentally access a computer or computer network for evil reasons. It's basically an evil hacker. They access it with the intent of destroying, or stealing information. Both crackers and hackers are very advanced with network skills.

* The Cyberterrorist.

A cyberterrorist is someone who uses a computer network or the Internet to destroy computers for political reasons. It's just like a regular terrorist attack because it requires highly skilled individuals, millions of dollars to implement, and years of planning.

* The Cyberextortionist.

The term cyberextortionist refers to someone who uses emails as an offensive force. They would usually send a company a very threatening email stating that they will release some confidential information, exploit a security leak, or launch an attack that will harm a companies network. They will request a paid sum of money to prevent the threat from being taken out, a bit like black mailing.

* The Unethical Employee.

An unethical employee is an employee that illegally accesses their company's network for numerous reasons. One could be the money they can get from selling top secret information, or some may be bitter and want revenge.

* The Script Kiddie.

A script kiddie is someone who is like a cracker because they may have the intentions of doing harm, but they usually lack the technical skills. They are usually silly teenagers that use prewired hacking and cracking programs. * The Corporate Spy.
A corporate spy has extremely high computer and network skills and is hired to break into a specific computer or computer network to steal or delete data and information. Shady companies hire these type people in a practice known as corporate espionage. They do this to gain an advantage over their competition an illegal practice.

Business and home users must do their best to protect or secure their computers from security risks. The next part of this article will give some pointers to help protect your computer. However, one must remember that there is no one hundred percent guarantee way to protect your computer so becoming more knowledgeable about them is a must during these days.

When you transfer information over a network it has a high security risk compared to information transmitted in a business network because the administrators usually take some extreme measures to help protect against security risks. Over the internet there is no powerful administrator which makes the risk a lot higher. If your not sure if your computer is vulnerable to a computer risk than you can always use some-type of online security service which is a website that checks your computer for email and Internet vulnerabilities. The company will then give some pointers on how to correct these vulnerabilities. The Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center is a place that can do this. The typical network attacks that puts computers at risk includes viruses, worms, spoofing, Trojan horses, and denial of service attacks. Every unprotected computer is vulnerable to a computer virus which is a potentially harmful computer program that infects a computer negatively and altering the way the computer operates without the user's consent. Once the virus is in the computer it can spread through infecting other files and potentially damaging the operating system itself. It's similar to a bacteria virus that infects humans because it gets into the body through small openings and can spread to other parts of the body and can cause some damage. The similarity is, the best way to avoid is preparation. A computer worm is a program that repeats copies itself and is very similar to a computer virus. However the difference is that a virus needs to attach itself to an executable file and become a part of it. A computer worm does not need to do that, it copies itself to other networks and eats up a lot of bandwidth.

A Trojan Horse named after the famous Greek myth and is used to describe a program that secretly hides and actually looks like a legitimate program but is a fake. A certain action typically triggers the Trojan horse, and unlike viruses and worms it will not replicate itself. Computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses are all classified as malicious-logic programs which are just programs that certainly harm a computer. Although these are the common three there are many more variations and it would be almost impossible to list them. You know when a computer is infected by a virus, worm, or Trojan horse if your computer displays one or more of these things:

* Screen shots of weird messages or pictures appear.

* You have less available memory than you expected.

* Music or sounds plays randomly.

* Files get corrupt.

* Programs are files do not work properly.

* Unknown files or programs randomly appear.

* System properties fluctuate.

Computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses deliver their payload or instructions through three common ways.

1 - When an individual runs an infected program so if you download always scan the files before executing, especially executable files.

2 - When an individual boots a computer with an infected drive, so that is why it's important to not leave removable media in your computer when you shut it down.

3. When an unprotected computer connects to a network. Today, a very common way that people get a computer virus, worm, or Trojan horse is when they open up an infected file through an email attachment.

There are literally thousands of malicious logic programs and new ones come out by the numbers so that's why it's important to keep up to date with new ones that come out every day. Many websites keep track of this. There is no known method for providing 100% protection for any computer or computer network from computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses, but people can take several precautions to significantly reduce their chances of being infected by one of those malicious programs. Whenever you start a computer you should have no removable media in the drives. This goes for CD, DVD, and floppy disks. When the computer starts up it tries to execute a boot sector on the drives and even if it's unsuccessful any given virus on the boot sector can infect the computer's hard disk. If you must start the computer using removable media for any reason, such as when the hard disk fails and you are trying to reformat the drive make sure that the disk is not infected.

How can you protect your computer?

The best way to protect your computer from any of the above is by using good quality internet securities software. Purchasing this from a reputable security company is recommended to ensure that your software is kept up to date with the most recent virus signatures. If you are not up to date an unrecognized virus will not be stopped by the software. A full security package will protect you from viruses, worms, Trojan horses, keyloggers and will detect when a hacker is attempting to hack into your computer and prevent them from gaining access when you are online or connected to a network. It is not advisable to use a free antivirus service as these do not provide adequate protection and are a false economy. Recommended internet security software companies are: - Norton, McAfee and others.

Finding a Trustworthy Towing Company

Mishaps happen on the roadways across the country every single day. They can be simple things, like running out of gas, getting a flat tire, or the radiator overheating. They can also be more extreme things like an engine fire or an automobile accident occurring. In all of those listed events, one thing remains common about them - in all cases, some sort of tow truck is needed on the scene. While it may not be the first thing on your mind in a crisis, finding a towing company that is trustworthy can be important to making sure your car is handled properly and you are not being taken for a ride.

While most businesses that offer pointing are good, sound businesses that are looking out for your best interests, there are those that are only out to make fast money and overcharge you for services as much as they can. They feed upon the fact that you are in a volatile situation and want your car back and running and will do most anything to get it that way, including paying exorbitant fees for little work like changing a tire.

There are a few things you can do either before you hit the road just so you are aware of a few places or even, with the technology available today, right from your smartphone while you wait with your car. You can check on the Internet to see what businesses are very close to where you are so maybe you can get the fastest service available to you. You could also call friends or colleagues who may be familiar with towing businesses around you and can give you a recommendation.

Once you have a few ideas of places you can call, you may want to check and see what their rates are before asking for help. If you just need a tire change or a gallon or two of gas to get you to the next station, you might want to ask how much they charge for those services. If you know that your car needs a tow, you can ask them what their mileage rates are for towing and how far they are willing to go.

You may want to check with them and see if they will accept your insurance for payment. Some businesses may require you to pay them upfront and then you personally can get re-imbursed by insurance, if they are involved. Other places will just take a direct insurance payment and expect nothing from you right away.

Whenever you are choosing a towing company, you might want to keep in mind businesses that offer their services all day long. If you ever break down at three in the morning and need help, you want to know that the service you trust has availability twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. You can also always check with your local Better Business Bureau to make sure no complaints are filed against them for problems with their business.

Stop Paying Credit Card Debt and Stop Worrying About It

Every month thousands of Americans are forced to stop paying credit card debt simply because they are out of money. Half a million people in the US lose their jobs every month due to the deepening depression and it becomes a choice of food and shelter or make a credit card payment.

If you can't pay credit card debt, then what are you to do? First, you must completely change your thinking from "traditional economy" to "depression era" survival mode. Once upon a time, you had great credit, paid your bills on time and planned to live happily ever after.

Then the "big bad" economic depression formed and the sky began falling, raining pink slips down upon millions of people. Uncle Sam saw what was happening and with his infinite wisdom, he began the biggest "bailout" of banks and large corporations in the history of the world.

Your life changed from a fairy tale to a full-blown horror classic in a matter of months and now you're being chased by a credit card monster that is determined to eat you alive! Next month this scenario will repeat itself as another half a million people become unemployed.

The good thing is, the credit card monster can't eat us all. Some people will adapt to the debt collectors strategies and emerge to live a debt free life. Who are the survivors? You might call them the "action figures", the people who take action and defend themselves against collectors

As you begin to change your thinking about your credit-card-debt situation, you will need to realize that it was not you who caused the economic meltdown, it was the banking system. Further, you must know that after you stop paying credit card debt, the bank "wrote off" your debt and moved on.

After about six months of nonpayment, the bank sells your "debt" to debt collection companies and that is "the end "of the story for the credit card company. From that point on your account never existed with the original credit card company.

The debt collector paid a few cents on the dollar for your account information and he will now use your "moral obligation" traditional thinking to scare you into paying him instead of the original credit card company. The original credit card company will not receive a penny from the debt collector should you choose to give him any money.

The debt collector took a big risk when he purchased your account. His thinking is that he can scare you into paying him and reap a huge profit from you. He will use every legal means available to collect money from you, and many collectors will use "illegal" tactics to extort your money.

Most people don't know that they too have an arsenal of completely legal tactics to use against debt collectors. Once you show the debt collector that you have absolutely no fear of him, he will quickly move on to those who are sticking their head in the sand hoping he will go away.

You can easily make the sky fall on the debt collectors head by dropping bits and pieces of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act on his head one piece at a time and he'll quickly move onto the less knowledgeable, easy prey.

Arm yourself with knowledge and don't be a "cowardly lion". Follow the yellow brick road laid out for you by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and you can successfully end your credit card nightmare.