In his life, Kurt Vonnegut embodied the notion of beauty found in irony. His literary works reflect his unique feelings of society and his belief in humanism is revealed through his lifestyle. His death marks the end to a period of our culture and history.

When I heard of Vonnegut's death, I remembered an interview he gave where he announced plans to sue the manufacturers of Pall Mall cigarettes for not being able to kill the chain smoker. He could find the irony in his own life and he acknowledged the awkwardness of existence.

I remember, in my junior year of high school, a friend casually passed on a copy of Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five." Some people hear great speeches which inspire them, some people fall in love with idealistic leaders, and some people devote their lives to a cause; I started reading Kurt Vonnegut books and found comfort with the fact that someone could laugh at the world's problems and still find a simple beauty in people.

You may think it odd that I feel strongly about the death of a person I never met, but Vonnegut was the last of a generation who spoke against the glories of false promises and encouraged an admiration for the individual. His devotion to being humane and his mindful nature of the best and worst accomplishments of society are qualities I hope will continue with future authors.

I fear that, with his passing, the world may move on from laughing at itself, but as Vonnegut pointed out in his last book ("A Man Without A Country"), when Pandora released all the evil onto the world, she also released hope.

Armed with their brand-spanking-new movie out in theaters - that managed to karate-kick the beefed-up Spartans out of the No. 1 box office spot ­- four teenage amphibians are currently the coolest comeback story out there.

For those who remember the original explosion of turtle-mania, this could quite possibly be the perfect opportunity to completely submerge oneself in sweet, sweet nostalgia. Don the homemade bandana, colored to match your favorite turtle; enjoy annoying everyone with trite surfer lingo; and whip out those nunchucks from the back of your closet - Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo are back.

If seeing "TMNT" in theaters isn't enough mutant-ninja action for your taste, or you're wondering why, exactly, the turtle phenomenon faded away in the first place, let the Rental Of The Week help. In "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III", the four brothers are forced to travel back in time to 17th-century Japan to save April, who was transported there by ways of an antique golden scepter she picked up cheap at a flea market. While the rescue itself takes a little less than five minutes, the turtles find something else to occupy their time: Helping a rebel army fight the evil Daimyo and his English allies. While the story is a little thin and the absence of the infamous arch nemesis Shredder is acutely felt, the movie is, nevertheless, entertaining, cheese-tastic and the perfect recipe for a stroll down memory lane.