LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - China's leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping on Friday swiped away fears that his country's economic growth could stumble, and turned to courting American companies, film-makers and governors hungry for a slice of that growth on the final day of his U.S. visit.

At the end of Vice President Xi's five-day trip, his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden announced China had agreed to make it easier for Hollywood to distribute movies to China's expanding audiences. Xi (pronounced "shee") told a business forum in Los Angeles that China would promote greater domestic demand and turn more to the United States to buy imports and send investment.

Despite recent economic slowing and persistent price pressures, Xi told the gathered business executives that China's economic momentum would not falter as some economists warn.

"China's economy will maintain stable growth," he said "There will be no so-called hard landing."

Xi is almost sure to succeed Hu Jintao as Chinese president in just over a year, and the final day of his tour of the United States featured commercial deals and reassuring talk intended to blunt American ire about the trade gap between the countries.

"We will further increase imports from other countries in the light of our economic and social development and consumer demand. We will actively expand imports from the United States," Xi later told a midday meeting.

Biden, who accompanied Xi to Los Angeles, praised the Chinese Vice President's efforts to reach out to often wary Americans, but reminded him that rancor over trade imbalances and barriers had not evaporated in all the sunny goodwill.

"The crux of our discussion is that competition can only benefit everyone if the rules are fair and followed," Biden told the midday reception for Xi.

The U.S. movie industry has long complained about China's restrictions on the number of foreign films allowed into the country each year, a limit that they say boosts demand for the bootleg DVDs that are widely available in China.

The film announcement does not remove China's quota system, but it might ease some of the ire.

The agreement allows more American exports to China of 3D, IMAX, and enhanced-format movies, and also expands opportunities to distribute films through private enterprises rather than the state film monopoly, the U.S. Trade Representative's office said.

GETTING READY FOR NEXT DECADE

The two vice presidents both suggested that Xi's diplomacy, deals and folksy public displays could pave the way for steadier ties between the world's two biggest economies.

Xi said that he felt from his visit that "mainstream American opinion" supports stronger ties. "I can now say that my visit has been fully successful," he said.

"We've established a personal friendship and a healthy working relationship," he said of himself and Biden.

Xi is poised to become China's next leader after a decade in which it has grown to become the world's second-largest economy. Beijing wants to avoid tension with Washington while the Communist Party leaders focus on the power handover.

Xi's visit to the United States was also intended to get both sides more familiar with each other for the decade that he could be in power. He will most likely succeed Hu Jintao as party chief in late 2012 and as president in early 2013.

Under Xi, China's economic size and military capabilities are likely to grow closer to U.S. levels.

Washington and Beijing have often jostled over economic, political and foreign policy disputes from human rights to Taiwan and most recently Syria.

The U.S. trade deficit with China expanded to a record $295.5 billion in 2011, and many U.S. lawmakers complain China's yuan currency is significantly undervalued, giving its companies an unfair advantage.

The Obama administration has also accused China of distorting trade flows by ignoring intellectual property theft, putting up barriers to foreign investors and creating rules that favor China's state-owned behemoths.

Xi's stop in Los Angeles was choreographed to blunt those complaints and make China's case that its rapid growth presents the U.S. economy with opportunities, not threats.

Scores of executives from major U.S. and Chinese companies, from Intel to Microsoft, lined up to sign deals after Xi's address at the economic forum on Friday.

They included "Kung Fu Panda" studio Dreamworks Animation's venture to make films from Shanghai, and Chinese telecom giant Huawei's pledge to award $6 billion in contracts over three years to Qualcomm Inc, Broadcom Corp and Avago.

"MISSION IMPOSSIBLE" FAN

More than the publicly stern Chinese President Hu, Xi has tried to put a friendlier face on his government during his U.S. visit, including revisiting the small town of Muscatine in Iowa where he visited in 1985 and stayed two nights with a family.

The 58-year-old also visited the International Studies Learning School in South Gate -- a Los Angeles enclave of mainly Hispanics -- where students learn Chinese.

At the school, Xi recalled his first visit to Muscatine: "They gave me the same impression that, like Chinese people, they are warm-hearted, friendly, honest and hard-working. Twenty-seven years have passed, but that remains my impression, and it has become a deeper one."

Xi also offered a glimpse of his personal life, telling the students he enjoyed swimming and watching sports, including American basketball, baseball and gridiron football.

Showing his familiarity with Hollywood fare, Xi said it was difficult to find time to relax. "It's like the name of that American movie -- 'Mission Impossible'."

After their visit to the school, Biden told reporters the talks with Xi had been very forthright, and was also intensely curious about the workings of the American political system.

"This is a guy who wants to feel it and taste it, and he's prepared to show another side of Chinese leadership," said Biden. "He is intensely interested in understanding why we think the way we do, what our positions are, and the need to actually broaden this kind of understanding."

Xi was due to watch part of an LA Lakers basketball game before he left for the next two countries of his international tour, Ireland and then Turkey.

(Additional reporting by Doug Palmer and Paul Eckert in Washington; Editing by Todd Eastham and Robert Birsel)

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China's Xi sells U.S. trade elixir, personal chemistry

The Client Retention Machine is designed to help personal trainers acquire and retain clients while increasing revenue. The new online lesson at http://clientretentionmachine.com/ helps fitness trainers grow their business.

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (PRWEB) February 17, 2012

Everyone personal trainer knows that it costs a lot more – in both time and money – to acquire a new client than it does to keep the ones you already have. That’s where the Client Retention Machine comes in. This online refresher on keeping and growing clients is now available for personal trainers and other fitness, wellness and coaching pros at http://clientretentionmachine.com/

In this free online lesson, John Spencer Ellis, the founder of John Spencer Ellis Enterprises, a fitness and personal development solutions company, and owner of the Client Retention Machine, discusses the secrets to success for personal trainers and other fitness pros who are interested in both building and maintaining their business.

“The Client Retention Machine is a simple, proven, affordable and automated way to keep more of your current clients, make them happier and then get more new clients because of that!” said Ellis. “When word of mouth starts working for you, your job will get that much easier, and you’ll be able to focus more on your existing clients and the things you enjoy, and less on seeking out new clients.”

The keys to keeping clients, all covered in the Client Retention Machine tutorial at http://clientretentionmachine.com/, are:

Make sure they are satisfied and always over-deliver

Provide them with a sense of belonging or “tribe”

Let them know that you genuinely care about them

Offer individual attention

Provide unexpected gifts or bonuses

Make sure they receive a reward for their business

“The Client Retention Machine can help you save time, save money and save your sanity while you impress your clients and turn them into raving fans and referral machines,” Ellis added. “By taking a few simple, smart steps, you can change the shape of your fitness business this year.”

About John Spencer Ellis Enterprises and the Client Retention Machine

John Spencer Ellis Enterprises is a solutions provider for fitness and coaching professionals around the world, providing education, turn-key business programs, coaching and resources for new and advanced fitness and coaching professionals. For more information about John Spencer Ellis Enterprises or the Client Retention Machine, please visit http://clientretentionmachine.com/.

###

John Spencer Ellis
NESTA/SI/JSE
949 589 9166
Email Information

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Client Retention Machine Helps Personal Fitness Trainers Get – and Keep – More Clients

In response to:

Afghanistan: The Best Way to Peace from the February 9, 2012 issue                                                  

To the Editors:

As a presumably average reader of The New York Review who considers the magazine a tool and source to fashion informed personal opinions on a broad spectrum of issues outside my own area of expertise, I was bothered by the lack of economically based arguments in Anatol Lieven’s otherwise informative article on Afghanistan [“Afghanistan: The Best Way to Peace,” NYR, February 9]. It seems to me that the widely reported presence of natural resources on Afghan territory might well be a reason and a solution for its problematic role in international affairs. While all the arguments in Mr. Lieven’s article need to be considered in working out a permanent solution, I wonder if the economic facts should not play an important role in this process.

Klaus Peters
Sherborn, Massachusetts

Anatol Lieven replies:

Klaus Peters raises a very important point, which I should perhaps have discussed in my essay. If I did not do so, it was partly for lack of space, but also because the future of the Afghan economy is so uncertain—and this is above all true of Afghanistan’s reportedly huge mineral and energy resources and their possible role in peace and stabilization. In principle, of course, the development of Afghanistan’s resources should contribute greatly to this.

Unfortunately, the Congo suggests that where a country is already racked by conflict, its natural resources can actually fuel that conflict further. Nigeria and other cases also demonstrate how energy resources in particular, if captured by greedy elites, can fuel corruption, increase social tension, and hinder economic growth. The record of the Afghan government since 2001 is not very encouraging from this point of view.

My sense is, therefore, that if an Afghan peace settlement can be reached that gives the different warring parties a reasonable share of power, then the profits of Afghanistan’s resources may give them a greatly increased stake in maintaining the settlement and rejecting a return to war. The development of these resources may also increase the regional stake in Afghan peace. This is above all true of China, which has won the biggest deals so far in the mineral and energy sectors, and which might be able to use its influence in Pakistan to keep that country committed to a settlement. It seems to me, though, that while a peace settlement will have to include detailed agreements on sharing the benefits of economic development, this would only be one part of a deal, and peace would have to be established before development can actually begin.

Excerpt from:
Afghanistan & Money

Press Release

17 February 2012

Personal Group Holdings plc

("the Company")

Dividend Announcement and Notice of Results

The directors of the Company are pleased to announce that the first dividend for 2012 of 4.45p per share (2011: 4.35p per share) will be paid on 23 March 2012 to members on the register on 2 March 2012. Shares will be marked ex-dividend on 29 February 2012. If business continues as anticipated the Company expects to pay dividends of the same amount in June, September and December 2012, which would represent an increase of 2.3 per cent over the 2011 dividend level.

The Company intends to announce its results for the year ended 31 December 2011 on Monday 26 March 2012.

- ENDS -

For more information please contact:

Personal Group Holdings Plc

John Barber, Financial Director

+44 (0)1908 605 000

Cenkos Securities Plc

Stephen Keys

+44 (0)20 7397 8926

Media (Frankfurt: 725292 - news) enquiries:

Notes to editors:

Personal Group Holdings Plc (AIM: PGH) is a leading provider of employee benefits and financial services, established in 1984 and with offices and clients across the UK.

The group primarily provides tailored employee benefits programmes to businesses throughout the UK. These programmes include insurance products such as hospital and convalescence plans, death benefit and income protection plans; lifestyle benefits such as holiday and retail discounts; flexible benefit programmes; a range of tax efficient benefits such as childcare vouchers; and employee assistance programmes. The group generates the majority of its revenue through the underwriting of hospital and convalescence plans. Through its expertise in producing, communicating and implementing successful benefit solutions, the group has helped over 400 leading UK companies recruit, retain and motivate the best people. In total the group provides access to benefits for 1.2 million employees, and clients include Pirelli (Milan: PC.MI - news) , Brake Bros, TNT (Hamburg: TNT.HM - news) , UK Mail, Regatta, Road Chef and Vinci (Other OTC: VCISF.PK - news) .

In addition the group offers financial planning and broking services as well as private medical insurance through its Berkeley Morgan and Universal Provident brands.

The group boasts considerable financial strength, with a 25 year track record of profitable growth since 1986. For the year to 31 December 2010 the group reported revenue of £27 million. With a strong balance sheet and a progressive dividend policy, Personal Group (LSE: PGH.L - news) 's vision is to be the provider of choice in employee benefits and financial services. The group's development to date has been achieved principally through strong organic growth.

Personal Group is headquartered in Milton Keynes, was floated on AIM in 2000 and today employs over 160 people.

For further information, go to http://www.personal-group.com.

Continued here:
Personal Group - Dividend Announcement and Notice of Results

HARRISBURG — Former Rep. Mike Veon used state grant money intended for economic development to further his own personal and political agenda, a state prosecutor told a jury today.

Veon, a longtime Democratic power broker formerly of Beaver Falls, is charged with theft-related offenses and conflict of interest for allegedly misusing funds from a non-profit he created and supplied with $10 million in state grant money. Opening arguments began today in Dauphin County Court.

In 2010, a jury convicted Veon of 14 charges for awarding under-the-table salary to legislative staffers who worked on campaigns. He is serving a 6- to 14-year prison term.

In this case, Veon, 55, "used the authority of his office to directly benefit his family," Deputy Attorney General Laurel Brandstetter said. He did so by arranging a $100,000-plus job with a development contractor that was paid $900,000 by the Beaver Initiative for Growth and had substantial contracts with House Democrats, Brandstetter said.

That is one of several instances of misuse, she said.

Veon made about $95,000 as a legislative leader and from BIG "he made zero," said Dan Raynak, Veon's lawyer.

The initial charge against Veon alleged he tried to get a higher salary for his brother, Mark, not a job, Raynak said.

The alleged go-between for Veon, his former chief of staff Jeffrey Foreman, is a "multi-convicted felon," Raynak said.

Raynak said the jury would hear from Veon's brother and the head of the development company and it would be their word against Foreman's.

Another charge against Veon is that BIG, which Veon founded, paid $19,000 in rent for an additional office on Pittsburgh's South Side above a cigar store. BIG never staffed the office, Brandstetter said. A legislative intern was housed there temporarily.

Raynak said BIG had an incredible number of projects in Allegheny County.

A former state legislator, Rep. Terry Van Horne, received a $5,000 check from BIG but never did any work for the non-profit, prosecutors say. Van Horne died recently.

BIG funds were also used for an additional legislative office in Midland.

Raynak said it was all taxpayer money and Veon could have, as a legislative leader, obtained whatever he needed in state money for the Midland office.

"If Mr. Veon wanted 30 district offices he literally could have gotten the money," Raynak said.

"Are the taxpayers actually losing a penny?" Raynak asked.

Michael Palermo, attorney for Veon's co-defendant Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink, said the government would have to prove she had criminal intent as a person who wrote BIG checks and also headed Veon's district office in Beaver Falls. Rosepink, he said, had no criminal intent.

More Pennsylvania headlines

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Veon misused non-profit funded by tax dollars, prosecutor says

'Gastar o no gastar' es un dilema al que se enfrentan los propietarios de empresas ante la opci�n de instruir a su personal. Aunque el entrenamiento de empleados implica una fuga de dinero y tiempo, la opini�n un�nime de expertos es que redit�a numerosos beneficios a una compa��a. Y esas ventajas vienen por partida doble, ya que no tan solo la empresa mejora, sino que tambi�n el empleado gana experiencia y conocimiento que le permiten desarrollar sus tareas con una mayor efectividad, en un menor tiempo y con una menor supervisi�n.

La consejera de negocios Marisela Villamil de la Capital Region de Small Business Development Center, SBDC de Maryland, asegura que la capacitaci�n del trabajador es esencial para lograr el �xito de una empresa y a�ade que los empleados se motivan al saber que el aprendizaje los hace m�s eficientes.

"A veces los empresarios y empleados latinos saben hacer su trabajo eficazmente, pero no tienen conocimiento de la atenci�n al cliente, la calidad del servicio, la forma como presentan sus presupuestos o c�mo delegar funciones para hacer crecer el negocio", indica la asesora. Si un empleado se prepara para desempe�ar eficientemente sus funciones tendr� tiempo para ayudar al propietario en la promoci�n y la atenci�n personal de la clientela lo que redunda en un mayor volumen de transacciones y por lo tanto, mejores dividendos.

"Generalmente el entrenamiento laboral que ofrece una empresa es gratuito para los empleados", se�ala Villamil. "A veces los due�os de negocio peque�os optan por ofrecer un curso de contabilidad a sus empleados lo cual genera un ahorro al negocio al evitar el gasto de honorarios de un contador p�blico".

El empleado tambi�n puede absorber los gastos de un entrenamiento cuando quiere obtener una licencia en un oficio o especialidad o cuando necesita aprender determinados programas de computaci�n. �l sabe que con esa capacitaci�n lograr� un ascenso en su trabajo.

El costo se determina de acuerdo con el tipo entrenamiento, algunos de ellos son gratuitos. Por ejemplo las oficinas de la Administraci�n de Peque�os Negocios (Small Business Administration, SBA) pueden capacitar primero al empresario o a la persona encargada de instruir al personal para que ellos a su vez impartan la capacitaci�n al personal de la empresa. Estos entrenamientos generalmente son gratuitos.

Si el ramo de una empresa es la tecnolog�a, es posible que el empresario tenga que invertir tiempo en el caso de que �l o ella vayan a impartir los nuevos conocimientos. Si la instrucci�n demanda que otra compa��a o un asesor impartan el entrenamiento, la empresa tiene que pagar los honorarios correspondientes de acuerdo al nivel y el giro de la capacitaci�n.

"Si la implementaci�n de un entrenamiento va a generar un aumento en la producci�n de un negocio de 30 a 40 por ciento, sin duda vale la pena absorber el costo de ese aprendizaje ya que es redituable. La empresa no solo recuperar� la inversi�n, sino que tendr� mayores ganancias", explica Villamil.

Las ventajas de implementar una instrucci�n al personal son innumerables. Por un lado, el empleado obtiene una educaci�n y capacitaci�n que le servir�n tanto a corto como a largo plazo. Una instrucci�n eficiente hace m�s competitivo a un empleado al mejorar su desempe�o laboral.

Por su parte, los due�os de las peque�as empresas aseguran que sus empleados tengan los conocimientos y habilidades requeridos para ejecutar sus funciones de una manera sobresaliente.

Para la asesora Villamil no existe ninguna desventaja en hacer el desembolso de un entrenamiento. Lo que �nico que podr�a resultar es que el empleado tuviera otras ofertas, pero eso sucede �nicamente cuando la empresa donde trabaja no tiene un plan de crecimiento para que sus empleados puedan recibir incentivos

Link:
Capacite y Aumente la Productividad de su Empresa

Larry Ackerman, Author of “The Identity Code” has launched his new blog on personal and corporate identity – offers new resources on identity, brand, and purpose

New York, NY (PRWEB) February 15, 2012

Leading authority on organizational and personal identity, author Larry Ackerman has launched his new blog “Identity Beacon” – http://blog.theidentitycircle.com. Ackerman is regarded as the pioneer in the field of identity-based management and leadership. He is the founder of The Identity Circle - http://www.theidentitycircle.com.

His blog is focused on helping organizations and individuals address their identity to benefit both personal and leadership development. A highly sought after speaker, Ackerman has worked for a wide range of clients including Alcoa, Maytag, Fidelity Investments, the Dow Chemical Company and others.

Published by Random House, Larry’s book, "The Identity Code: The 8 Essential Questions for Finding Your Purpose and Place in the World", shows readers how to crack their identity code. Heralded by numerous leaders as fundamental to revealing organizational identity as well as personal identity, the book is highly relevant in today’s 24/7-paced world.

In "The Identity Code", Ackerman reveals the Laws of Identity and the 8 Essential Questions they encompass. The answers to those questions notes Ackerman, “are the foundation upon which you’ll make truly meaningful decisions about what work is right for you, build and maintain relationships that matter, and even discover the hobbies and interests that make the most sense for you.”

Ackerman’s blog –Identity Beacon – continues the conversation started in Ackerman’s books and offers readers weekly beacons of insight about how to claim – and apply – their personal identity to their work lives and lives overall.

Ackerman’s first book, "Identity is Destiny", set forth a revolutionary view of the nature of identity and its fundamental impact on organizational and leadership development.

Ackerman’s site features several free and valuable tools for individuals and corporations.

To download an overview on Identity Mapping® — a dynamic program for tapping the value-creating power of your workforce — Please go to this link: http://www.theidentitycircle.com/images/uploads/IM_Corp_Course.pdf. Identity Mapping helps individuals clarify their unique, value-creating powers and apply them to their work, their careers, and the organization as a whole.

Follow Larry Ackerman on Twitter http://twitter.com/lackerman.

About the Author:

Larry Ackerman

The Identity Circle LLC

1771 Post Road East, Suite 207

Westport, CT 06880

Phone: (203) 227-8589

Email: lackerman(at)theidentitycircle(dot)com

###

Nettie Hartsock
The Hartsock Agency
512-753-9984
Email Information

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Larry Ackerman, Founder of The Identity Circle Launches New Blog - Are You Ready to Break the Identity Code?

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c03508/one_piece_of_paper) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new book "One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership" to their offering.

Based on Mike Figliuolos popular "Leadership Maxims" training course,One Piece of Paperteaches leaders how to articulate their philosophy on a single piece of paper. By asking themselves a series of simple yet thought-provoking questions across four aspects of leadership, readers create a concise, powerful and deeply meaningful set of personal leadership maxims.

The four aspects of leadership comprising the core of the approach are:

Leading Yourself: What do you stand for and where are you going? Leading the Thinking: Whats the vision and how do you innovate to drive change? What are the standards to guide how you get there? Leading Your People: How will you relate to them and challenge them to be great? Leading a Balanced Life: How will you harmonize all you do so you wake up invigorated every day excited to go tackle the challenges ahead of you?

By evaluating themselves across these four aspects of leadership, leaders will build a holistic view of their personal leadership style and learn how to capture it on a single piece of paper. The result is a living document that serves as a behavioral touchstone for leaders and their teams. From this one piece of paper, leaders can clarify for themselves and communicate to others their values, passions, goals and standards.

Fortune 500 companies spend over $12 billion annually on leadership development for their managers. Books that offer new and effective solutions to the challenges corporate leaders face are always in high demand.One Piece of Paperisexactly the kind of book managers and leaders are clamoring for simple, applicable, and without pretense. Its real leadership for the real world.

Key Topics Covered:

Part One The Leadership Maxims Approach.

Part Two Leading Yourself.

Part Three Leading the Thinking.

Part Four Leading Your People.

Part Five Leading a Balanced Life.

Part Six Making It Real.

Author:

Mike Figliuolo (Columbus, OH)is the founder and managing director ofthoughtLEADERS, LLC, a professional services firm specializing in leadership development, and a nationally-recognized speaker and blogger on the topic of leadership. An Honor Graduate from West Point, Figliuolo served in the U.S. Army as a combat arms officer. Before founding his own company, he was an assistant professor at Duke University, a consultant at McKinsey & Co., and an executive at Capital One and Scotts Miracle-Gro.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c03508/one_piece_of_paper

Original post:
Research and Markets: One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership

Maersk Oil & Gas AS (Maersk Oil) is seeking an experienced Development Geologist to work in our Houston office to support the company's Angola deep-water development activities.

Qualifications:

The successful candidate will have a minimum BSc. degree in Geology, and 5+ years of active work experience as a Reservoir Geologist. Good personal work efficiency, ethics, team-work, inter-personal and communication skills are essential qualifications. The Development Geologist is sought to assist development well planning, optimisation and execution of the development program.

The candidate is expected to have the following technical skills in order to perform satisfactorily in this position:

� Experience in the integration of detailed seismic interpretation, static modelling and dynamic simulation results for well targeting, well planning and optimisation in vertically stacked reservoir systems, and during the execution phase. Petrel expertise is highly preferred

� Knowledge of reservoir modelling techniques and software is required in order to successfully integrate seismic and RE data into development well planning and optimisation

� Knowledge of modern Operations Geology is essential: including LWD, wireline logging and Petrophysics interpretation principals, as well as knowledge of modern well completion strategies

� Experience in the planning and execution of formation evaluation campaigns for operated wells, in collaboration with subsurface (geosciences and Reservoir Engineering), drilling and completions personnel and overseas field operations bases (west African experience is highly preferred)

� Deepwater operations and international experience is highly desirable

The role has the following key responsibilities:

� The successful candidate will liaise and integrate data from the Seismic Interpretation, Geologic Modelling and Reservoir Engineering groups in order to assist development planning activities and execution of the Field Development Plan, reporting to the Chissonga Subsurface Manager

� Significant scope exists for performing seismic and well data interpretation and geologic modelling during both the construction and execution of the Field Development Plan

� Daily liaison with our Operations Geologist in Luanda as an interface between the Houston Subsurface Team and our Luanda Operations groups

� Planning of FE programs and the preparation of geological operations documents in support of our development drilling program. All applicants should possess a valid US work authorization. Maersk Oil is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

All applicants should possess a valid US work authorization.
Maersk Oil is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Link:
Development Geologist- 61740

MONTVALE, N.J., Feb. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Driving enthusiasts and AMG fans get a chance to enhance their driving abilities and push the most exclusive and highest performance Mercedes-Benz luxury cars to the limit at the AMG Driving Academy.  For 2012, the AMG Driving Academy has expanded to five tracks, beginning at Palm Beach International Raceway in April.

Originally founded by the Mercedes-Benz high performance subsidiary AMG in Affalterbach, Germany in 2007, the 2012 AMG Driving Academy offers an opportunity to get behind the wheel of several AMG models including the E63 AMG, SL63 AMG, C63 AMG Coupe, SLK55 AMG and the SLS AMG. The program offers Basic, Advanced, and Pro levels of training.  Under the guidance of top professional instructors, driving enthusiasts experience the excitement of motorsports and the track capabilities of Mercedes-AMG vehicles.

The program features custom-designed exercises that showcase the dynamic driving capabilities of Mercedes-AMG models across five premier tracks:

Palm Beach International Raceway (Jupiter, FL) - April 12-17 A favored testing venue for championship teams offering both high speeds and twisting corners, Palm Beach International Raceway is a track that will constantly challenge even the most experienced drivers. Lime Rock Park (Lime Rock, CT) – May 8-17 Few tracks are as well known and loved. This classic 1.53-mile, 7-turn course, nestled in the Berkshire Mountains of northwest Connecticut continues to excite some of the world's best drivers since 1957. Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, TX) – September 6-9 The infield road course has hosted some of the most exotic machinery in the world, providing drivers a chance to explore the limits of the vehicle...and themselves. Laguna Seca Raceway (Monterey, CA) – September 23-27  & November 8-12 Located in one of North America's best destination locations -- the Monterey Peninsula, Laguna Seca features tremendous elevation changes, the famous Corkscrew complex and 2.24 sinewy miles. Auto Club Speedway (Fonatana, CA) – October 23-30 The fastest track on the west coast, Auto Club Speedway offers a challenge to drivers of all levels.

The AMG Driving Academy offers three levels: 

Basic Training ($1,595):  A one day program designed to teach the fundamentals of performance driving dynamics and car control maneuvers using customized exercises that emphasize the power and handling capabilities of AMG vehicles.  Drivers will also test their skills on the track at high speeds and during performance course competition. PBIR – April 12-15 Lime Rock – May 8, 11-12 & 14 Texas – September 6-9 Laguna Seca – September 23-24 & Nov. 8-10 Auto Club Speedway – October 23-28 Advanced Training ($2,995):  A two-day program that provides a deep level of technical driver training both on and off the track.  The program picks up where Basic leaves off, offering more track driving to extract a driver's maximum potential in a performance driving setting.  PBIR – April 16-17 Lime Rock – May 9-10 Auto Club Speedway – October 29-30 Laguna Seca – Nov. 11-12 Pro Training ($3,695): The pinnacle of the AMG Driving Academy experience in the U.S. Comprised of three days of intensely focused instruction and technical skills reserved for the highest level of driving, Pro Training allows for maximum speed, challenges and thrills. Lime Rock – May 15-17 Laguna Seca – September 25-27

Additional information and registration for the AMG Driving Academy is available at http://www.AMGacademy.com or by phone at 1-877-646-6762.

About Mercedes-AMG

Mercedes-AMG is the high-performance subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Car Group and is headquartered in Affalterbach, Germany. AMG engineers lend the benefit of more than 40 years racing experience to the development of new Mercedes-AMG vehicles. Transmissions, brakes, aerodynamics, exhaust systems and, most importantly, the hand-crafted engine built and signed by an AMG Master Technician reflects AMG's holistic approach to performance.

By blending AMG genes with Mercedes DNA, AMG has delivered thrilling performance and exclusive refinement to discerning customers since the brand's introduction to the U.S. in 1995. While all Mercedes-Benz authorized dealers offer AMG products, 28 dealerships across the U.S. have attained 'AMG Performance Center' status where more personalized expert service for these high-performance vehicles is offered. http://www.mercedes-amg.com

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Pushing Personal Driving Performance to the Limits With AMG Driving Academy