As drug trafficking-related violence in Mexico rages, the cartels have come up with a radical solution for improving their capabilities in faceoffs with other criminal groups and Mexican security services.

Narco-tanks are home-made armored vehicles, also known in Spanish as "monstruo" for their hulking size. They reached peak popularity in 2011 as the Mexican military seized a garage from the Los Zetas drug-trafficking organization that was being used to construct the vehicles. At that point, criminal gangs could operate military-like vehicles out in the open with apparent impunity.

I’ve been in B2B for about 15 years now, dealing with senior executives in a wide variety of companies. For the most part, the decision-makers at these firms have usually fallen into the 45–60 year-old age category—people in senior roles, at the peaks of their careers.

But in the last two years, I’ve started to notice a real shift. Those decision-making roles are increasingly being filled by millennials. While I’ve certainly seen this younger cohort in the workplace, they haven’t been the ones making the decisions—until now.

Disruptive businesses make the headlines, but they also face real risks. Why you need to tread carefully around the law

Years ago, I worked as a waitress at a popular independent brew pub with an origin story that was the stuff of local legend. The proprietor had bought a heritage building, outfitted it with expensive brewing equipment and hired a full-time brewmaster to develop premium ales and lagers. He had just one problem: It wasn’t yet legal for an establishment in Ontario to produce and sell its own beer on-site. He started the business anyway, shilling sandwiches and sodas until the law changed and allowed the pub to sell the suds that have made it a prosperous business for nearly 30 years.

A perfect storm is converging on the tribes of the “Emerald Triangle,” the name given to the three counties – Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity – in Northern California where much of the country’s marijuana is grown, hidden under canopies of trees. After four years of drought, the worst in California’s history, a State Department of Fish and Wildlife report published in March found that illegal marijuana grows have been using hefty portions of scarce river water in those counties, threatening both water resources and salmon habitats. Meanwhile, the U.S.

Zig Ziglar sent an important message when he said, “The only thing worse than training your employees and losing them, is not training your employees and keeping them.”
 Although many factors contribute to a negative employee culture, including poor management, lack of advancement opportunity, low pay, and other factors, there is another strong correlation: how well people are trained to do their jobs. It turns out, if people feel well-prepared and well-equipped to succeed in their roles, that feeling improves their morale.

In a ruling described as “historic” by one lawyer, a Quebec judge has ordered three major cigarette companies to pay $15 billion to smokers in what is believed to be the biggest class-action lawsuit ever seen in Canada.

“These three companies lied to their customers for 50 years and hurt their right to life,” Andre Lesperance, one of the lawyers involved in the case, said Monday.

“It’s a great victory for victims as well as for society in general.”

For Lise Blais, the judgment was bittersweet.

One of the two lawsuits that eventually merged into one was filed by her husband, Jean-Yves Blais, shortly before he died of lung cancer in September 2012 at the age of 68.

One of Canada’s largest licensed medical marijuana producers says it has repeatedly been hit up by specialized clinics asking for money in exchange for referring patients to them – a practice that underscores the lack of clear rules governing the relationship between consumers, their doctors and growers in the nascent industry.

Farmers are demanding that the government act upon its December 2013 decision and issue additional licenses without delay.

A group of 10 farmers interested in growing medical marijuana recently filed a petition to the Jerusalem District Court, demanding that the Health Ministry increase the licenses available for producing the crop.

Although a government decision was made on the subject in December 2013, officials have still failed to issue licenses for those looking to begin growing cannabis for medical purposes, the farmers argued in their petition.

Because they have not yet been able to join the industry, the farmers said that damage is being caused to themselves, to those patients who may need the marijuana, and to the principle of fair competition.

Fully Commit

Decide that you’re going to keep working at it until your reach your goal. The word “de-cide” literally means “to cut away from”. Think of the other strong commitments you’ve made in your life. There’s no turning back, you stick to it consistently and keep moving forward, no matter what. Make this same kind of commitment to your goal.

Challenge Your Excuses

It's going to be a very merry Christmas this year.

The state of Alaska voted in favor of legalizing marijuana in November, making the possession of cannabis legal for any adult 21-years of age and older in February of 2015. However, individuals towns could still block the sale of marijuana, and on Monday, the town of North Pole took a vote to decide if pot shops would be allowed within its limits.