To Vape or Not to Vape?

The title of this post is a question I'd like to pose to Big O Coffee News readers. The electronic cigarette has burgeoned into a $1.7 billion a year business and is gaining traction fast. An industry insider has even said that projections show 2014 will bring another 4.5 million users of these devices.

There are plenty of positives associated with smoking e-cigarettes, known as "Vaping." Eliminating dozens of known cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco cigarettes is possibly the biggest plus. However, replacing the smoking habit with a nicotine habit minus the tobacco has other benefits. Tobacco smoking means inhaling flaming-hot particulates into the lungs, and vaping removes those as well.

On the flip side, there have been no long term studies done on vaping, which lets the user inhale nicotine-laced water vapor instead of tobacco smoke. There could be some health risks associated with that, even if those health risks pale in comparison to tobacco smoking.

Other concerns with vaping involve unintended consequences. Will vaping become a fad and get new people addicted to nicotine that weren't previous smokers? Is it more palatable for non-smokers to start vaping because its supposedly safer? What about the second-hand effects of the vapor? Will the unregulated nature of this industry get kids to start vaping, and then somking?

I, for one, don't believe that vaping will lead to smoking. Rather, I think vaping will switch millions of current smokers to a less unhealthy alternative and promote vastly more folks quitting tobacco than starting a new nicotine habit.

What do you, the readers, think?

7 Reasons Why Your Car Mechanic Should be ASE Certified

We here at the Big O Coffee News look for the best of everything, and love a good deal off the beaten path. While having a "Best of" logo on the store window is important here in town, do we really know what this means? In this post, we'll look at seven reasons why the ASE Certified logo really means something.

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence has a program to certify trained personnel.  An ASE certified mechanic has to pass an examination, have two years of on the job training and work experience. 

This ensures that the ASE certified mechanic works on all the parts of the car/vehicle and knows how to repair it.  In addition he (or she) also has to pass a refresher examination every five years.

Why you Need to Look for an ASE Certified Mechanic

1. As today’s cars/vehicles have so much advanced  technology in terms of electronics and computer chips and fuel efficiency, it has become necessary to have an ASE Certified Mechanic for maintaining and repairing your car.

2. An ASE mechanic is trained and has experience which enables him to diagnose and solve your  vehicle problems.  The garages that employ ASE certified mechanics are able to work on today’s cars, trucks, and SUVs. It can be very annoying if you have to take your vehicle back to the garage again and again, because it was not serviced properly the first time.  This can be avoided by using an ASE certified mechanic for your car/vehicle service and maintenance

Read on and see the other 5 reasons here. We're proud to have Victory Auto Repair as our exclusive auto repair advertiser in Omaha. And you know what? They're certified!