I work at the Pennsylvania Center for the Book and a new book of poetry by local author Marjorie Maddox came across my desk recently. The title immediately caught my attention: “A Crossing of Zebras: Animal Packs in Poetry.” I thought, collective nouns and poetry? What a great idea! I'm a former elementary school teacher. So, I immediately started thinking about all the possibilities for this book in the classroom. Learning about collective nouns, words that describe groups of animals, individuals, or things is often part of the curriculum. When I wanted a fun way to help children understand the concept of collective nouns, I used to use a book by Ruth Heller called “A Cache of Jewels and Other Collective Nouns.” That book just gives you a page with one word, the collective noun, and a simple illustration. So, you can imagine my delight at discovering Marjorie Maddox’s entertaining poems, along with Philip Huber's imaginative scratchboard artwork. This book takes Heller's idea a step

“The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life” offers those who usually read novels a chance to enjoy ‘creative non-fiction.’ This book is a well-told narrative about the molecular building blocks of life and how they evolved. David Quammen accepts the challenge of documenting the advancement of evolutionary life science while revealing its significance to all of our lives. Quammen also gives us insight into the vibrant communities of scientists carrying out similar work. Quammen begins by introducing the image of the Tree of Life. He describes how it has evolved from the image of a ladder-to-heaven in ancient and medieval thinking into Darwin’s branching, upward-growing tree. Quammen closes his introduction with his own surprising proposition. He suggests Darwin’s tree image is no longer the precise metaphor for what life is. Quammen introduces each new evolutionary twist and turn until the new Tree of Life ends up looking more like a web than an upwardly-reaching tree with

Recognizing the author’s name led me to “Hidden Tapestry” by Debra Dean . Her debut historical novel, “The Madonnas of Leningrad,” is one of my favorite WW II novels. “Hidden Tapestry: Jan Yoors, His Two Wives, and the War That Made Them One” was like no other book I’ve ever read. It’s a historical biography, but it reads like an unbelievable novel. It’s the biography of Flemish-American artist Jan Yoors, who was known for his giant tapestries. Yoors was born to a family of Flemish artists in 1922. He grew up in a bohemian liberal home with a deeply engrained cultural respect for art. Throughout his childhood his parents accepted his departures every summer to live among the Gypsies, or Romas. He developed deep admiration for this unique group of people, and many years later, he wrote a memoir about his time living with them. His award-winning 1965 book, “The Gypsies,” was hugely popular. It is still the seminal work on the Romas. Dean’s research is thorough, and her writing is

“Lucretia Mott’s Heresy: Abolition and Women’s Rights in 19 th Century America” is a delicious history. The book draws heavily from the letters of Lucretia Mott, which gives the reader the voice of this fiery opponent of slavery and promoter of women’s rights. In the mid-1800s, Lucretia Mott was one of the most popular abolitionist speakers among the Philadelphia-area Religious Society of Friends. As a friend of a Friend, I am interested in the history of Quakers. This tiny religious sect has had an outsized impact on American history. I will also confess that my husband and I take special delight in academic histories. You know, those books with a colon in the title that signifies it will be easy to fall asleep to this one. At night we take turns reading out loud, occasionally asking, “Are you still awake?” For us, “Lucretia Mott’s Heresy” was perfect bedtime reading. But it is not for everyone. Some readers will be impatient with the exhaustive detail of this scholarly tome by

"The Swerve: How the World Became Modern" by Stephen Greenblatt is the biography of a man named Poggio Bracciolini, and the history of a poem titled "On the Nature of Things." Bracciolini began adult life as a scribe, which is the 15th Century version of a notary public. It was a useful, but not unique, position in what is now Italy. Despite his humble beginnings, Bracciolini used his intelligence, charm, and exceptional penmanship to become the personal secretary to Pope John XXII. That was quite an achievement for a person of common birth. But, it was Bracciolini’s avocation as a book collector that gave him a place in history. Bracciolini spent much free time - and money - searching for rare manuscripts in the monastic libraries of Europe. In particular, he looked for manuscripts containing the works of ancient Greek philosophers. In January 1417, he found a manuscript of the poem, "On the Nature of Things.” Written by Titus Lucretius Carus around 50 B.C.E., "On the Nature of Things

How do we love the land, even as we participate in doing damage to it? How do we honor those who have come before us, even as we acknowledge the destruction they advanced? These are the questions that came to me as I read “Pennsylvania Furnace” a new book of poems by Julie Swarstad Johnson. In poems that weave effortlessly, sometimes magically, between past and present, Johnson considers the significance of resource extraction in relation to American lives. Her poems step back and forth across the continent, juxtaposing the Arizona desert-cities of the author’s home with the ridges and valleys of central Pennsylvania. Here in Appalachia, where her parents are from, Johnson finds the remnants of Pennsylvania’s booming 19 th -century ironmaking industry and goes on a journey to learn about those old furnace stacks that stand, as one poem puts it, “like lone towers left from fortresses / by the roadside.” Like students of this local history who came before her, Johnson acknowledges that

The title of the book I am recommending is a mouthful: “iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids are Growing up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood*: *and What That Means for the Rest of Us.” This book by Dr. Jean M. Twenge serves as a deep, yet accessible analysis of the attitudes, values, and behaviors of America’s newest generation of young adults: iGen. I am a doctoral student studying higher education at Penn State. Although my goal in reading this book was to understand iGen as a student population, I found Twenge’s insights to be timely and relevant to contexts beyond the university, which is why I want to share them here today. The generational label was coined by Twenge herself and describes those who were born between 1995 and 2012. This time span was a period of rapid technological and social change, which included the commercialization of the Internet and the release of the iPhone. In addition to “Internet” and “iPhone,” the “i”

Nearly 90 years after his death, the name Thomas Edison still stands as a synonym for invention and technical wizardry. Yet aside from a short list of his inventions, I couldn’t say that I knew all that much about him. So, when I saw that Edmund Morris had written a new biography—titled simply “Edison”—I couldn’t resist learning more. Morris is perhaps best known as the author of the magisterial three volume biography of Theodore Roosevelt, of which “The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt” won the Pulitzer Prize. While not as long as that combined output, at over 800 pages, “Edison” is still a bit daunting. But with a life as long and productive as Edison’s, the book never lagged, presenting a fascinating record of both disappointment and achievement. Morris made a curious choice as a biographer. At the start of the work, we see Edison’s last race against time to come up with a substitute for rubber for tires. From there, each chapter covers a decade of his life, proceeding backwards. From his

There is a point in Colson Whitehead’s novel, “The Nickel Boys,” when you think—when you hope—that things will turn out for the better for his protagonist, Elwood Curtis. Elwood is living in New York, he has a job, an apartment, and a girlfriend. He has developed plans to start his own moving company. At that point, you begin to have hope that all the atrocities and injustices Elwood endured—including the years he spent being abused at the Nickel Academy, a reform school in Florida, were not his undoing, even as you know that probably isn’t the case. “The Nickel Boys” is Whitehead’s ninth novel and is based on the true story of a 1960s reform school for boys. Elwood should have never been at Nickel. Before arriving there, things were going well for him. He was a serious, hardworking, and cerebral young man. His grandmother had shielded him from most external forces. For example, she got him a job at a store to keep him busy, and kept him away from the speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King

What makes a book relevant more than twenty years after it was first published? In order to persist, books tell tales that go beyond the experiences of the main character and become relatable to broad audiences across time. “Charming Billy” by Alice McDermott does exactly this while questioning the nature of relevance through an exploration of the titular character. Billy Lynch is an alcoholic. That’s the unchanging reality that leads him to die alone in New York City before the book begins. In the opening chapter, readers meet the community at his funeral, huddled inside a bar and grill ironically drinking the very stuff that fueled Billy’s addiction. It’s through their conversation that we learn of Billy’s goodhearted nature. Billy is willing to help out a friend in any situation and finds ways to make people feel good about life. It’s at that table we meet Billy’s cousin Dennis, who seems to have access to Billy’s life in ways the rest of the family doesn’t. Dennis’ daughter,

We will be having two large size format flagship stores, one in Delhi and one in Bombay (price points between INR 100- 10,00,000) whereas THT gifting will have products ranging from INR.1000 – Rs.5000. Our endeavour is that THT Gifting reaches 50 in terms of the number of stores in the next five years--JJ Valaya

Prestige will also be launching new products in water purifier segment.

Sanjeev Kapoor's business ventures range from premium cookware and appliances brand Wonderchef to TV channel FoodFood to a chain of restaurants across India and abroad.

This will help Bajaj Electricals cement its position in the fast-growing Rs 12,000-crore kitchenware category.

Founded in 2009 by Kapoor and former Sodexo Pass India MD Ravi Saxena, the company sells premium kitchen appliances, cookware and bakeware under the Wonderchef brand.

TPG’s investment comes at a time when Livspace is also strengthening its offline network of experiential stores across top cities.

We expect to make up Kerala losses in September, October and November as the state rebuilds its economy.

According to the company, Tupperware intends to leverage its existing consultant and distributor base and make them a part of the brand’s new initiative. The Tupperware family will have the opportunity to either become “Tupperware Authorised Sellers” on the e-commerce platforms, or take charge of “Exclusive Tupperware Outlets”.

The state government is looking to re-introduce the old tradition, where steel or other metal utensils were taken on rent from vendors and community stores. Over the years, disposable plates, glasses, cups and other utensils have gained popularity, replacing the system.

Besides, TTK Prestige has plans to expand its distribution network further and expects higher sales from fast-growing online channels.

Tupperware India's managing director Deepak Chhabra talks about how integrating the direct sales force with the retail franchisee model is working for the home and kitchen-ware maker.

“He is well-acquainted with the working culture of large global brands, which puts him at the right position to take charge of reinforcing Stovekraft’s position as the market leader in the FMCD (fast moving consumer durables) space,” chairman and MD Rajendra Gandhi said.

“We see this second round of investment from TCA as a token of faith. We have grown 500% over the previous financial year and on track for very aggressive growth next year as well.” said Jagadeesh Kumar of The Indus Valley.

According to the statement released by the company, Srivastava, an alumnus of IIM-Ahmedabad, comes with over 15 years of cross-functional business experience. She has also mentored multiple start-ups and turned around their businesses towards better revenues and growth.

The Sajjan Jindal-led JSW group’s JSW Paints entered the highly competitive paints industry in India with an initial investment of Rs 600 crore.

Established in 2000, Indigo Paints is a relatively new entrant to the decorative paints industry that is dominated by the like of Asian Paints, Berger and Nerolac.

The number beat ET Now's poll estimate of Rs 547 crore profit.

In a filing with the stock exchanges, the company said it is buying 95.53% stake of STPL. Balance 4.47% stake will remain with STPL’s existing shareholders.

The decorative business segment in India recorded high double digit volume growth.

From Rs 12 crore in FY09, the Pune-headquartered company, which is gunning for an IPO, closed FY19 with revenue of Rs 600 crore. Here Jalan talks to TOI about his plans for the company.

Asian Paints' revenue from operations rose 3% to Rs 5,420.28 crore from Rs 5,263.04 crore.

“As a socially responsible company, Asian Paints is committed to providing necessary support towards various relief measures announced by the government to combat Covid-19” said K.B.S. Anand, Managing Director & CEO, Asian Paints Limited.

The sanitiser is being manufactured at Asian Paints’ plant in Ankleshwar, Gujarat and the company has obtained all necessary permissions from authorities. Other brands which started making hand sanitisers after the Covid-19 pandemic spread to India include Dabur, Emami, Patanjali, Nivea India, and Raymond Consumer Care, among several others.

On March 23, the company had informed bourses about disruption of operations across the country on account of COVID -19 pandemic.

'Our foray into sanitizers is an effort to help the fight against Covid-19'

The home furnishing chain, which currently has 50 stores in 27 cities, also cited longer replacement cycles as reason for low sale of durable big-sized furniture such as three and five-seater sofa sets.

"To ensure the safety of our customers, we are recalling all TROLIGTVIS travel mugs marked "Made in India". We urge customers to return the product to any of our stores for a full refund. We apologise for any inconvenience this recall may cause," the world's largest furniture retailer said.

“There are no medical issues and this is purely a proactive initiative keeping the safety of our customers in mind,” the Swedish furniture and home products retailer said on its website, urging consumers to stop using the Troligtvis-branded travel mugs immediately.

Ikea is exploring possibilities of building shopping malls and entertainment facilities next to some of its upcoming standalone stores, or developing multi-storey shopping centres with Ikea as an anchor store, depending on land availability, they said. The company will lease out mall space to other brands and retailers.

Home audio is not the only segment that the two firms are targeting. Other products in the range include lights, crockery, furniture, and other knick-knacks like a reflective raincoat and a cajón. Some of the devices like the speakers and smart lighting bulbs can be connected together.

Budget raised custom duties on wooden furniture, tableware etc. Ikea imports about 75% of its products.

Imported furniture items account for only 15-20% of all furniture that are being sold online in India at present, according to industry estimates. The majority, including bigticket wooden items such as beds and sofas are being manufactured within the country.

Pepperfry may see another up to $40 million capital infusion over the next few months, said a senior executive at the online furniture retailer, without disclosing its valuations following the latest fundraising.

"I think we could broaden the product range a bit in our lower price range," Abrahamsson Ring said, adding that new materials, production techniques and distribution methods would help make IKEA "even more affordable".

The Ikea compliance team last week visited Vadodara-based Shaily Engineering, the company that had supplied the mugs, as part of the investigation, a source said. Ikea was prompted to recall the mugs after tests found excessive level of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), a substance that is used as plasticisers.

From the production of raw materials and products through to customers' use and disposal, emissions shrank 4.3% in the fiscal year to the end of August 2019 to 24.9 million tonnes CO2 equivalents, it said.

In the Union Budget 2020 announced on February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced to increase customs duty on imported furniture from the present 20 per cent to 25 per cent. The move was aimed to protect the interest of the MSME segment. Ikea opened its first store in the country in Hyderabad in August 2018.

"We see this as a good opportunity to become accessible for many more in China, especially in light of what the Chinese digital environment looks like," Tolga Oncu, head of retail at Ingka, which owns most IKEA stores worldwide, told Reuters.

Johan Andersson, the store's logistics boss whose team found them, had just read that hospitals were suffering from a shortage of masks amid the coronavirus outbreak so he rang up Sahlgrenska University Hospital - Sweden's biggest - in Gothenburg and asked if they were interested.

According to the company, the online presence will further strengthen the brand’s reach by covering 2,000+ pin codes. Basis the demand and sales, Godrej Interio also plans to introduce selected online-only models to cater to a larger section of customers who love purchasing online.