Advanced Visual Systems, Boston-based producer of advanced data visualization systems, combines high-performance visualization software and ease of use in its AVS/Express offering, resulting in one of the most popular such systems in the world. AVS/Express is a comprehensive and versatile software system that allows any type and size of database to be processed and rendered visually, making complex relationships much easier to deal with. Support for leading 64-bit high performance platforms permits visualization of multi-gigabyte datasets. Cross-platform compatibility allows deployment on multiple systems without changing any code.

AVS/Express works with all leading platforms, and represents the most comprehensive solution for the development and display of complex scientific, research, and industrial data. Users can quickly customize solutions using a powerful drag-and-drop programming interface. One-click Wizards make it simple to import data, filter, annotate, animate, and add hundreds of data visualizations techniques.

The

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Oil prices surpassed $73 a barrel today, hinting that once again, summer travel will be hindered by rising gas prices. Natural gas advocates are the first to say “I told you so” as they continue to vie for the importance of alternative energy, not only for cost savings, but for environmental purposes as well.

One obvious benefit of natural gas over oil is cost. Natural gas is generally cheaper than oil and the price isn’t influenced by international voice, as they are determined regionally. Also, in its basic form, natural gas doesn’t need refining, eliminating the refining costs of crude oil in its conversion to motor fuel.

In the middle of a recession, every attempt to save money without sacrificing quality deserves recognition. Energtek Inc. (EGTK) is engaged in developing and commercializing Absorbed Natural Gas (ANG) technology, which allows for the storage of comparable gas

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Avalon Oil & Gas, Inc. is an independent domestic oil and natural gas producer focused on leveraging efficient reservoir maintenance and innovative technologies to generate stable cash flows and production. By acquiring a portfolio of oil and gas leases to generate asset growth, the company aims to deliver a sustainable rate of return for their shareholders. Avalon currently owns working interests in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.

Instead of engaging in exploration and drilling exploration wells, the company invests in underdeveloped properties with existing stable cash flows. This relatively low risk business strategy enables Avalon to realize almost immediate cash flows and allows management to concentrate on expanding production of the acquired oil and gas properties.

The company is also in the process of acquiring a portfolio of new technologies developed for the oil and gas industry. Avalon first evaluates the commercialization potential with regard to technology and market viability, and then

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL - May 21, 2009 - Zacks.com releases the latest Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks featured in this week's analysis include Apache Corporation (APA), Forest Oil Corporation (FST), Newfield Exploration Company (NFX), Ultra Petroleum Corporation (UPL) and United National Gas Fund (UNG).

Zacks Industry Rank Analysis is written by Charles Rotblut, CFA, Senior Market Analyst for Zacks.com.

This Week: Better Trends for Energy E&P Companies

We might be moving closer to a turnaround for oil & gas exploration and production (E&P) companies. During the past 2 weeks, the number of positive revisions to full-year earnings estimates for the group has doubled, rising from 125 to 250.

This shift has caused the revisions ratio to turn positive, meaning that there are more positive than negative

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Oil as a commodity is an interesting real asset. What investments most directly create the economic effect of owning oil itself?

The best answer would be to own an oil well, or better yet, own an entire oil exporting country.  However, neither of those options is a practical answer for most investors, certainly not owning a country (unless, of course you are born into the right family).

So what are the practical options for the rest of us?  Among others, they include:

futures contracts funds that invest in futures contracts exchange traded notes that are priced to a futures index royalty trusts that own oil in the ground integrated oil companies oil & gas exploration companies oil & gas production companies general energy funds alternate fuels options on any of the above.

Options are a speculation that expire in time, so we’ll exclude them from the “ownership” consideration.  Futures provide a 1:1 price participation, but they also expire with time, and rolling from

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Bald Eagle Energy Inc. is an oil and gas exploration company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Their corporate mission is to be a partner in helping America work toward energy independence. The company is focusing their efforts on Alaska’s vast energy resources.

The company’s strategy for profitability is to reduce capital expenditures through a minimized team of experienced management, and to retain the consulting services of industry experts only when needed. They also utilize third-party drilling companies to limit investment in equipment and limit operating expenses.

Bald Eagle holds a 100% percent working interest in six separate leases in Alaska. The six leases total 18,418 acres. They are east of the Arctic Fortitude Unit and south of the Prudhoe Bay Unit, which has produced in excess of 10 billion barrels of oil from The Prudhoe Bay Field. This field is the largest oil field in North America. The company’s land position with

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Ospraie Management, LLCOspraie Management - Letter, Holdings, NotesBelow are details on Ospraie Management surrounding the closing of their largest fund - this includes a letter to their investors, a list of the securities they were said to be invested in and more. I think the quote below from Moonraker below explains in simple (maybe too simple) terms what happened to Opraie.The following piece on Ospraie is being published as part of our daily effort to track hedge fund events in the industry. To review other hedge fund related announcements please see our Hedge Fund Tracker Tool._________________________________________________Ospraie Management LLC may be the latest casualty from price swings in natural gas, the commodity responsible for the $1.9 trillion hedge-fund industry's biggest blowup with Amaranth Advisors LLC....

In the natural resources exploration and development game, the process of discovering natural resources usually requires long months of exploration and development. Exploration tracts are generally large and picked over, dictating months of research and application of new technology to find positive results. Every once in a while, however, a company hits pay dirt on its first effort. If an investor pays close attention to the natural resources market, they may come across a company that has gotten lucky with a quick and profitable find.

Emvelco Inc., a recently formed (2008) oil and gas company, works to explore and exploit gas and oil deposits primarily in West Texas. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Davy Crockett Gas Company, the company has had tremendous success with its first gas well (in a joint venture with Vortex Ocean One.) In addition to its gas activities, the company also owns and manages real estate

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The five best performing stocks on the Zacks #1 Rank List last week were: Genco Shipping & Trading Ltd. (GNK), Knoll, Inc. (KNL), Mariner Energy, Inc. (ME), Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR) and Parker Drilling Company (PKD).

Genco Shipping & Trading Ltd. (GNK) was a top-performing Zacks #1 Rank company last week as shares gained more than 10.7%. Earnings estimates for this year are up 3% in the past month, and analysts currently expect 2009 EPS to grow approximately 37% from 2008. Meanwhile, GNK has beaten Wall Street's quarterly earnings expectations for 4 consecutive quarters with an average surprise of 14.6%.

Favorable contracts and profit-sharing agreements led to a strong second-quarter performance for GNK, which it reported on Jul 30. Earnings per share of $1.95 beat the consensus of $1.72 by almost 13.4%. Revenues jumped 184% from last year

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