The Cafe' [Think Tank]

Phibro LLC  is an international  commodities trading  firm and a subsidiary of  Occidental Petroleum Corporation  (Oxy). Phibro trades in  crude oil ,  oil products ,  natural gas , precious and base metals, agricultural products, commodity-related equities, and other products. Phibro’s headquarters are located in  Westport , Connecticut, with additional offices in  London ,  Ireland  and  Singapore . History The company was founded in 1901 as Philipp Brothers. It was later acquired and became the Philipp Brothers Division of  Engelhard Minerals & Chemicals Corporation . In 1981 the company was spun off as Phibro Corporation, and that same year the company subsequently acquired  Salomon Brothers , creating Phibro-Salomon Inc. Phibro Energy, Inc. was established in 1984, absorbing the oil department of Philipp Brothers. In 1986, the combined company removed the Phibro name from the pare...

Unfortunately we don’t get to see too many African-American female lawyers, or many lawyers of African American descent at that. However, Keli Knight, Yondi Morris and Jessica Reddick are three young women who are out to break the mold. All three ladies came together to start their KMR Law Group located in Chicago, IL. And it all started with one tweet. Each woman had her own fair share within the law field, but it was Morris’ frustration that helped jump-start everything. While working as a contract lawyer at a particular law firm, she had been told by a partner, “Okay, slave, get back to work.” Being the only African American in the office there was no reaction from anyone else inside of the office. Expressing herself on Twitter, “I need to start my own firm.” Knight and Reddick responded to her tweet and as they say, the rest was history. It was reported last year by law professor Deborah L. Rhode that 88% of lawyers are white and only 33% of the partners are women. When Kni...

By Mehrun Etebari July 17, 2003 We've all heard the claims that cutting tax rates for the richest Americans will improve the standard of living for the working class. Supposedly, top-bracket tax breaks will result in more jobs being created, higher wages for the average worker, and an overall upturn in our economy. It's at the heart of the infamous trickle-down theory. The past 40 years have seen a gradual decrease in the top bracket's income tax rate, from 91% in 1963 to 35% in 2003. It went as low as 28% in 1988 and 1989 due to legislation passed under Reagan, the trickle-down theory's most famous adherent. The Clinton years saw the top bracket hold steady at a higher rate of 39.6%, but under the younger Bush's tax-cut policies, the rich are once again paying less. The drastic change in tax policy that has taken place since the early 1960s gives us a great opportunity to study and evaluate the claims that lower taxes for the rich translate to more wealth f...

Apply now for these Scholarships for Blacks for 2016, including Scholarships for African American Women  . If you are African American, there are many scholarships to help pay for college tuition and expenses, with some based upon merit and others based upon both merit and financial need. The scholarships listed on this page are designed for African Americans, and include both specific scholarships, such as Gates Millennium scholarship, and lists of scholarships for blacks provided by different organizations. If you like our list, please like our page and share this on facebook. Last updated on January 22 2016 by  College Financial Aid Advice Generation Google African American Scholarships Application Deadline  Feb to May Award Amount  up to $10,000. This Generation Google scholarship for blacks is for students majoring in computer engineering, computer science, or software engineering. Graduate or undergraduate degree. For more information and...

The first Girls Scout organization was established in 1912. The United States was segregated, and troops were made-up only with little white girls. However, years  later  in 1917, the  first  African-American Girl Scout troop was formed. During this time, Jim Crow laws were very much alive and  #Black  and White Girl Scouts were not allowed to integrate. In fact, when the Black girl troops of Savannah, Ga., wanted to go camping they had to drive about two hours to reach the nearest campground that would allow them to camp out. In 1921, a Native American troop was established, and by the late 1930’s the first southern region African-American Dixie troop was formed. By 1950, 14 years before the Civil Rights Movement, the integration of more scout troops had taken place. Dr. Dorothy B. Ferebee served as the first  black  Vice President of Girl Scouts USA, and years later, Dr. Gloria Scott would become the first Black Preside...

Attorney Monique Pressley is quickly becoming a household name for the manner in which she is defending actor-comedian Bill Cosby in the legal courts and in the court of public opinion. In fact, she is even being compared to the now-iconic television character, played by Kerry Washington, who can “handle” even the most hopeless of cases. “Bill Cosby went and hired a real life Olivia Pope. #MoniquePressley ,” tweeted comedian Jason Russ. Many agree that Cosby’s situation—being accused by more than 30 women of drugging and raping them and of other alleged improprieties—would require a person of the fictional Pope’s deft touch and competence. And Pressley, they say, is meeting that challenge as evidenced in numerous media appearances in which she not only breaks down the legalese in a way the average person can understand, but also provides a vigorous defense for her famous client. After discussing the case on “The Tom Joyner Show,” for example, Joyner was stunned into admitting...

By BILL CARTER Published: October 29, 1992  Bill Cosby, NBC's biggest star of the 80's, is trying to buy the television network from its current owner, the General Electric Company.        Norman Brokaw, the chief executive of the William Morris Agency and Mr. Cosby's personal agent for 30 years, confirmed yesterday that he had discussed Mr. Cosby's intention to make an offer for NBC with Robert C. Wright, the network's president. Mr. Brokaw said he flew into New York last week expressly to meet with Mr. Wright. "I told him Bill is definitely interested in buying NBC, and Mr. Wright eventually said that NBC is not for sale." For more than two years, NBC has been the subject of continuing rumors that it is for sale, especially since its ratings have gone into a steep decline. Mr. Brokaw said he and Mr. Cosby had decided "to fully pursue a deal" for NBC. He added that Mr. Cosby had met with his lawyer,...