Everything Is Illuminated: A Novel

• ISBN13: 9780060529703
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

With only a yellowing photograph in hand, a young man -- also named Jonathan Safran Foer -- sets out to find the woman who may or may not have saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Accompanied by an old man haunted by memories of the war; an amorous dog named Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior; and the unforgettable Alex, a young Ukrainian translator who speaks in a sublimely butchered English, Jonathan is led on a quixotic journey over a devastated landscape and into an unexpected past.

The simplest thing would be to describe Everything Is Illuminated, Jonathan Safran Foer's accomplished debut, as a novel about the Holocaust. It is, but that really fails to do justice to the sheer ambition of ! this book. The main story is a grimly familiar one. A young Jewish American--who just happens to be called Jonathan Safran Foer--travels to the Ukraine in the hope of finding the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis. He is aided in his search by Alex Perchov, a naïve Ukrainian translator, Alex's grandfather (also called Alex), and a flatulent mongrel dog named Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. On their journey through Eastern Europe's obliterated landscape they unearth facts about the Nazi atrocities and the extent of Ukrainian complicity that have implications for Perchov as well as Safran Foer. This narrative is not, however, recounted from (the character) Jonathan Safran Foer's perspective. It is relayed through a series of letters that Alex sends to Foer. These are written in the kind of broken Russo-English normally reserved for Bond villains or Latka from Taxi. Interspersed between these letters are fragments of a novel by Safran Foer--a wonderfully imagined, almo! st magical realist, account of life in the shtetl before the N! azis des troyed it. These are in turn commented on by Alex, creating an additional metafictional angle to the tale.

If all this sounds a little daunting, don't be put off; Safran Foer is an extremely funny as well as intelligent writer who combines some of the best Jewish folk yarns since Isaac Bashevis Singer with a quite heartbreaking meditation on love, friendship, and loss. --Travis Elborough, Amazon.co.uk

Blackberry Playbook 7-Inch Tablet (64GB)

• BlackBerry OS, 1 GHz dual-core processor
• 1 GB of RAM
• 7 inch multi-touch capacitive LCD screen, 1024 x 600-pixel resolution
• WIFI: 802.11 b/g/n, 3 MP forward facing, 5 MP rear cameras
• 14.4 ounces

Australia released, PAL/Region 4 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: Italian ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Subtitles ), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Behind the scenes, Featurette, Filmographies, Interactive Menu, Photo Gallery, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: Young married couple Giovanna (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) and Filippo (Filippo Nigro) have been married long enough to have become almost completely jaded by their lots in life, with most of their individual aspirations having been set aside some time ago. As their marriage begins to fall apart, ! the two encounter a strange old man (Massimo Girotti) who calls himself Simone since he can't seem to recall his real name or much about his past history. Filippo brings the man home to stay with them, which initially irritates Giovanna. Over time, she gradually befriends the confused old man and eventually notices a tattoo on his arm indicative of his being a WWII Holocaust survivor. Taking 'Simone' to an old Roman ghetto, she helps him remember his name (Davide) and his time spent in that very ghetto -- which includes recalling the very painful memory of his lover Simone's capture and murder at the hands of the Nazis. Meanwhile, Giovanna has been spending her free time impulsively peeping across the street at her attractive neighbor Lorenzo (Raoul Bova) -- who in turn has been spying on her. Giovanna is thus forced to decide between Filippo and Lorenzo, as well as possibly realizing a long dormant professional dream that her new friend Davide may be able to help her under! take. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: David Donatello Awards, ...Facin! g Window s ( La Finestra di fronte )US Compatible - Giovanna is a bookkeeper in a company which packs chickens. She is married to a man who has a precarious job. First she starts being curious about a young man who lives in the block opposite hers, and then she falls in love with him. The relationship between the two becomes much stronger when she starts to find out more about him from an old man who bursts into their lives. The old man, obsessed with the memories of some things that happened n the long past autumn of 1943, has lost his memory and finds refuge in Giovanna.Poetry. "In THE WINDOW FACING WINTER, the urgency of the beautiful andsometimes murderous urban landscape, set alongside the seductive, intricateoasis of the Japanese garden, renders possible a vision into 'sliver ofthe absolute.' With unflinching accuracy, LaFemina delivers a sacred, ifmomentary, world, laying bare its essential loneliness, its obstinatebeauty" --Robin Behn.The BlackBerry PlayBook delivers profess! ional-grade, consumer-friendly experiences that redefine the possibilities of mobile computing. This ultra-portable tablet looks and feels great, measuring less than half an inch thick and weighing less than a pound. The 64 GB internal memory offers ample space for media storage. It features a vivid 7-inch high-resolution display-WSVGAn display resolution (1024 x 600) that is highly-responsive with a fluid touch screen experience. It also offers industry leading performance, uncompromised web browsing with support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1, true multitasking, HD multimedia, advanced security features, out-of-the-box enterprise support and a robust development environment.

A professional-grade tablet, the BlackBerry PlayBook helps transform the way you work and play by combining the features you need with a powerful, ultra-portable design you want. You'll enjoy uncompromised Web browsing, true multitasking, and brilliant multimedia playback, as wel! l as advanced security features and out-of-the-box enterprise ! support.

Works smarter, play harder with the BlackBerry PlayBook (see larger image).

 

The vivid 7-inch multi-touch display looks and feels great in your hand (see larger image).

Measuring less than half an inch thick and weighing less than a pound, the PlayBook features a vivid 7-inch high-resolution display that looks and feels great in your hand--and it supports 4-fingered multi-touch gestures. Wirelessly connect to your BlackBerry smartphone for real-time access to email, calendar, address book and task list, Documents! To Go and BBM using BlackBerry Bridge (see more details below).

In addition to ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi support, this PlayBook model features a 1 GHz dual-core processor, 64 GB of storage, 1 GB of RAM, GPS for navigation and location-based services, dual HD webcams for video chats and snapping pics, and a highly intuitive BlackBerry Tablet OS based on powerful, user-friendly QNX technology. Plus, you'll be able to discover new apps via BlackBerry App World.

The PlayBook also offers a high-fidelity web experience with support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR and HTML-5--enabling you to enjoy all of the sites, games, media and richness of the full Internet. And you'll enjoy immersive 3D games thanks to the built-in accelerometer and 6-axis motion sensing (gyroscope).

Key Features

Uncompromised Web Browsing

With the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, you get access to the full web--not a scaled down mobile version. That mean! s you get all the rich websites, games, and videos, the way th! ey are i ntended to be enjoyed. The PlayBook offers support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and Adobe Mobile AIR as well as HTML5 and Webkit browser technology.

Multitasking

Other tablets claim to support multitasking, but it just isn't the same. On the BlackBerry PlayBook, apps can run simultaneously and in real time. It's a sophisticated approach to multitasking--giving you more choice around how your applications run, allowing you to tailor the experience to your individual needs.

Stunning Multimedia

Don't settle for amateur grade multimedia. Whether you're mobilizing your existing pictures, music, and videos, discovering new media or creating new content, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet offers a high fidelity, multimedia experience allowing you to fully immerse yourself in whatever you enjoy.

Video chat via the dual cameras with Full HD 1080p resolution.

 

Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook app.

The 7-inch multi-touch capacitive display has a 1024 x 600-pixel resolution for stunning playback of video and immersive 3D games. The PlayBook also comes with an HDMI output for connecting to a compatible HDTV or monitor and playing back Full HD 1080p video. It's compatible with video encoded in H.264, MPEG4, and WMV formats.

Ultra Portable

You don't spend your life on the couch, neither should your tablet. Your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is perfectly suited to your busy lifestyle--it's small enough to go anywhere and powerful e! nough to take you everywhere.

And with the dual camera! s, you'l l be able to video chat with friends and family wherever you roam (and are connected to a Wi-Fi network). The forward-facing camera has a 3-megapixel resolution while the lens on the back offers a 5-megapixel resolution--and both cameras can capture video up to Full HD 1080p.

More Apps, More Choice

Discover a huge catalog of rich apps developed and optimized just for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet--all available through the BlackBerry App World storefront. Games like Need For Speed Undercover and Tetris, an eReader from Kobo and a powerful music store by 7Digital are just a few of the pre-loaded apps that come with the PlayBook. You can also download the Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook app, which integrates popular features and functionality such as Facebook Chat, view and add friends, and interact with the News Feed.

Business Ready

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is designed to empower those who want tools to power achievement. PlayBook enh! ances personal productivity and offers businesses a straight forward, no hassle way to quickly embrace tablet technology. It includes DocsToGo and Adobe Reader software as well as support for enterprise VPN connectivity and corporate intranet browsing.

BlackBerry Bridge

On its own, the BlackBerry PlayBook is a high performance tablet. But for BlackBerry smartphone users there are additional benefits added to the PlayBook experience, like access to BlackBerry services living on the handheld. Get access to BBM (BlackBerry Messenger), email, calendar, contacts, memo pad, tasks from your BlackBerry smartphone--all on the large display (see more details below).

Specifications

Display: ! 7 inch multi-touch capacitive LCD screen, 1024 x 600-pixel res! olution Processor: 1 GHz dual-core processor Storage: 64 GB for storage Memory: 1 GB of RAM Communications: Wireless-N Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) Webcams: 3 MP forward facing, 5 MP rear; both capture Full HD 1080p video Audio: Stereo speakers GPS: For navigation and location-based services; includes accelerometer, 6-axis motion sensing (gyroscope) and digital compass (magnetometer) Ports: HDMI video output, Micro USB port Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches Weight: 0.9 pounds (15 ounces) What's in the Box BlackBerry PlayBook 64 GB, USB cable, BlackBerry charger, cleaning cloth, operating instructions You'll get 90 days of complimentary technical support. Speak with a BlackBerry expert if you need help or just want to learn more about your tablet's unique f! eatures.

 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to have a BlackBerry smartphone for the BlackBerry PlayBook to work?

If you don't have a BlackBerry smartphone, you still get all the powerful features of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet like the uncompromised web, true multitasking, stunning multimedia, and tons of apps. If you do own a BlackBerry smartphone you can realize additional benefits delivered by BlackBerry Bridge like access to your BlackBerry email and the ability to browse files found on your BlackBerry SD card--all right from your tablet.

What is BlackBerry Bridge?

BlackBerry Bridge allow you to wirelessly connec! t your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to your BlackBerry smartphon! e for a secure, enhanced view of core BlackBerry services on the tablet's large high-resolution display--including full email inbox (BIS and BES), address book, calendar, memo pad, task list, and BBM.

What is necessary to download attachments to the PlayBook via Bridge?

• MicroSD card in the BlackBerry Smartphone that is bridged.
• Room on the MicroSD card for the content being downloaded.
• The attachment has to be under 3 MB in size for it to download.

Which apps does Bridge work with?

BlackBerry Bridge is a feature that allows BlackBerry smartphone owners to interact with core BlackBerry applications including email (BIS and BES), calendar, contacts, on the Playbook's large 7-inch high resolution screen. BlackBerry Bridge links the two devices notification systems so you are alerted of new emails, BBMs, and calendar reminders right on the PlayBook's display. Through this same relationship, businesses running BlackBerry Enterprise Softwa! re can allow their employees to securely access information found on corporate internet sites using PlayBook. You also have access to your Smartphone browser so you can get on the web from virtually anywhere.

What smartphone software version is required to use Bridge?

All BlackBerry smartphones with OS 5.0 or above will be able to leverage BlackBerry Bridge, which accounts for approximately 60% of BlackBerry smartphone users today.

Is it true that the BlackBerry PlayBook will support Android apps on the PlayBook?

RIM has announced that it will launch an "app player" that provides an application run-time environment for Android v2.3 apps. This new app player will allow you to download Android apps from BlackBerry App World and run them on your BlackBerry PlayBook. The new app players for the BlackBerry PlayBook are expected to be available from BlackBerry App World in the summer of 2011.

Beyond the Sea

• TESTED

One of America’s greatest performers, Bobby Darin lived a rags-to-riches life. He worked his way from shady nightclubs to his dream destination, The Copacabana, where he wowed crowds with "Splish Splash," "Mack the Knife" and other hits. He was a marvel at singing, songwriting and performing â€" stealing the hearts of fans everywhere despite the suffering in his own hear.The chameleon-like actor Kevin Spacey is best known for playing pyschopaths (in Seven and The Usual Suspects) and capturing a creepy mid-life crisis in American Beauty--but surprisingly, playing crooner Bobby Darin, Spacey does some snappy dancing and top-notch singing. Beyond the Sea puts Darin's life through a bit of a kaleidoscope: While singing Darin's most memorable hit, "Mack the Knife," Darin suddenly stops the show, revealing that he's not at a nightclub, but in the middle of a s! hooting a scene about his life as a nightclub performer. Why has he stopped? Because he's just seen himself as a young boy, peering from behind a curtain. Such self-conscious narrative twists recur throughout the movie, turning Darin's fight for fame and respect into a love story between his adult and childhood selves. Sandra Dee (Kate Bosworth, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!), a hugely popular movie star in her own right, was supposedly the love of Darin's life, but she never holds his attention as does his childhood self (played by newcomer William Ullrich). It's a striking metaphor for the narcissism that drives such success-hungry entertainers. But despite (or perhaps because of) the complexity of the telling, the events never grip your emotions; though Darin's life featured hits galore and a few soap opera twists, his story lacks the seductive charm of his nighclub show. Also featuring Bob Hoskins, John Goodman, Brenda Blethyn, and Greta Scacchi. --Bret Fetzer!

Invictus

• Format: DVD
• Rating: PG-13
• Release Date: 5/18/10
• Run Time: 133 min
• Director: Clint Eastwood

A troubled young rugby player is given the choice between jail or playing for a rival team coached by a man known for building not only championship teams, but championship boys. Based on a true story, Forever Strong offers stand up and cheer sports drama combined with the consequences of a strong ethical code to achieve victory on and off the fieldAustralia released, PAL/Region 4 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby DTS 5.1 ), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Anamorphic Widescreen, Behind the scenes, Interactive Menu, Making Of, Photo Gallery, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Devised by committee, plotted by machine and acted on cruise control, "Forever Stro! ng" stages an all-too-familiar teenage morality play on the churned earth of a high school rugby field in Salt Lake City. For Rick Penning (Sean Faris), that field is his arena to vent against a spineless mother (Julie Warner) and an angry coach and father (Neal McDonough). A belligerent player and all-round pill, Rick is in dire need of an attitude intervention. So when the time-honored convergence of beer, convertible and hot chick lands him in juvie, he is on the road to learning more than just how to clean a toilet and smuggle Vicodin. An After School Special that somehow sneaked into the multiplex, "Forever Strong" operates at the subbasement level of sports as therapy, smashing bodies and jerking tears at rigidly timed intervals. As Rick, under the moral tutelage of Coach Larry Gelwix (Gary Cole) and his former rivals, learns to replace drinking, drugs and women with prayer circles, community service and Maori chants, the virility of the scrum becomes a spiritual rite! of passage. ...Forever StrongWhat does Nelson Mandela do afte! r becomi ng president of South Africa? He rejects revenge, forgives oppressors who jailed him 27 years for his fight against apartheid and finds hope of national unity in an unlikely place: the rugby field. Clint Eastwood (named 2009's Best Director by the National Board of Review) directs an uplifting film about a team and a people inspired to greatness. Morgan Freeman (NBR's Best Actor Award winner and Oscar nominee for this role) is Mandela, who asks the national rugby team captain (Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee Matt Damon) and his squad to do the impossible and win the World Cup. Prepare to be moved--and thrilled.After South Africa elected Nelson Mandela president, the racially divided country could've easily erupted into civil war. In Clint Eastwood's determinedly populist, yet heartfelt look back at that time, the director examines one of the more ingenious steps Mandela (Morgan Freeman in a performance of sly charm) took to prevent that from happening. Knowing that his c! ountry was set to host the Rugby World Cup in 1995, Mandela believed the national team could provide an example of reconciliation in action. Led by François Pienaar (an unbelievably buff Matt Damon), the mostly white Springboks inspired devotion among Afrikaners and disgust among native Africans. Instead of changing their name or colors, Mandela encouraged them to win for the sake of their homeland. During the year leading up to the event, the team learns to work together as never before, just as Mandela's newly integrated security detail, a combination of cops and activists, finds a way to bridge their ideological differences. By the time of the big day, the poorly ranked Springboks are well equipped to hold their own against New Zealand's All Blacks (so named for their uniforms, not their racial composition). Drawing from John Carlin's Playing the Enemy, Anthony Peckham's script takes its title, Latin for "unconquerable," from a British poem Mandela held close to ! his heart during the 27 years he spent in prison. If Damon's a! ccent is more convincing, Freeman serves as the film's heart--and as a timely reminder that reconciliation is never easy, but that it will always trump revenge. --Kathleen C. Fennessy