I am not sure, so I would have that conversation soonest with your issuing institution. You can probably get a credit card with a very low limit that drafts automatically from your checking account. I would check with the issuing institutions for sure to see what's possible and what is safest for you.

After having our personal checking accounts AND credit cards hacked (prior to the Target breach, btw) we have converted to "mostly" cash and some credit cards. NEVER USE YOUR ATM CARD ANYWHERE BUT AT YOUR OWN BANK. These were the words directly from my bank's VP when our second checking account was accessed. The…

this looked ... other, like steroids or something. Not just the usual fillers, but actually heavier. Could be, though, I'm not an expert in those products or their after-effects.

Madonna can't sing anymore. Her voice was terrible. You could tell that Mary Lambert was doing her best not to outsing the Icon next to her. Madonna had a cane for both of her outfits which makes me wonder whether her recent "foot" injury was still a problem, or there was something else. Also, the way she shuffled…

It should be noted that it was NOT the entire squad that sued, only Lacy T. Lacy herself said that the squad didn't know about it before she filed, but that it "could" become a class action and that many of the cheerleaders had the same complaints. In the local paper's coverage it noted that the Raiders made some…

He's still a SeaThug, no matter how "cute" this is.

Had Mr. Rolland included any model with a non-pale hue to her skin those yellow and orange outfits would have really popped!

So you have the patience (and extra lives) to play through each of the three challenges to get free additional levels? Good for you!

Candy Crush is like crack ... electronic crack that I swear is moderated to figure out how much you're willing or able to spend. I play the game, but don't pay for any in-game purchases aside from new levels. I'm at a point (level 100) that I can see the game is now rigged to be virtually impossible without spending…

I was trying not to be too unkind to the tastes of the writer! ;-0

Curling. CURLING is the other reason to watch the Winter Olympics.

This was discussed in my family yesterday, and we were a little confused. We all thought that Brian Boitano was out of the closet ... and acknowledged he was gay during the publicity for his show "What Would Brian Make?" Must be wrong, but here in the Capital of the Left Coast we know him to be a long-time "family"…

Sounds like a good think you learned this about your boyfriend now. I am surprised that he is still your boyfriend

What Laura didn't tell you in this article (but which was in the source material) is that this young lady is also an honors student in math and engineering. So MIT is a completely realistic goal for her. Her family owns a tow truck business so large machines have been her life. She really is a badass.

Pizzeria Sofia out on Ocean is a new find ... thin, crispy sourdough crust ... yummy real cheeses ... the owners are really great ... and they deliver!

There are a smattering of private Montessori preschools here in the US. My son went to one that was a teaching center so there was an upper elementary school section.

Of course this all sounds like Montessori education to me ... but then, that concept was created by a woman (Maria Montessori) so it's not as well accepted as it should be. Go into a Montessori classroom sometime and see how children follow their own interests. My son, in pre-K, would wander over to the 5-6th…

Self expression, yeah, I get it. I was young, too. (At some point during the last century, anyway ...) At my son's academically elite public HS here on the Left Coast there is also an ongoing issue with grinding/twerking and too-sexy dancing in particular. So "sexy" that it makes many students uncomfortable and…

So torn about this issue. Cats who have lived with us over the last 25 years have been indoor only. However, we have benefited greatly from the outdoor roaming cats who have kept the rodent population way way down.

Chad was bad enough by himself (and with Nickelback). Now it's just entered the "camp bad" territory. I was at the Genentech concert earlier this summer, where half the fun is guessing who will play. First Demi Lovato, then (can't remember, but good band), then Pitbull!?! ... and last, and certainly least, Chad…