Sunday, April 29, 2012

Final Project Cover page


Leon Johnson

English 1200-79

Final Project Cover Letter

28 April 2012

Cover Letter

            I chose to revise project one for my final. I wrote project one on whether people should sign a prenuptial agreement. Some of the changes I made in this paper is adding in-text citations and elaborating more. I tried to add at least one in-text citation to each paragraph since I lacked it the first time. I added some in-text citations to the second paragraph because it was not common knowledge. The sentences, such as “With about one in three of all first marriages ending in divorce, and fifty percent of second or third ones hitting the skids, a prenup is smart financial planning, legal and financial experts say” are some facts I learned from collecting research.

            Another thing that I changed about my project is elaborating more. I realized that some of my paragraphs did not make sense because they were short and simple. I tried to add a few more sentences and examples to make them more effective. I added a little more information to some paragraphs to help them flow better with the next paragraph.

            This semester I learned about rebuttal. I did not know about rebuttal until this semester. Since we went over about rebuttal after this paper, I tried to use it to revise this paper. Rebuttal has helped me become a better writer, because I know how to argue the other side now. I also learned to not wait to the last minute to do my papers and work. College has taught me to get started on work as soon as you get it, or it will be tough to handle if you wait to the last minute.

Leon Johnson

English 1200- 79

Project One Revision

27 April 2012

Prenuptial Agreement

            “Kobe Bryant wife files for divorce” is just one of the titles that many newspapers and magazines produced when media was informed that basketball superstar, Kobe Bryant, was getting hit with a divorce. Vanessa Bryant, who was married to Kobe Bryant for ten years, filed for divorce after she found that Kobe Bryant was unfaithful again. In 2003, Kobe Bryant was caught being unfaithful when he was charged with sexually assaulting a Colorado woman. Vanessa signed the divorce petition on December first after an investigator revealed pictures of Kobe with another woman. “The couple did not have a prenuptial agreement, Vanessa Bryant’s mother previously told a Times reporter. If true, she would be entitled to half of their community property.” (Reicher) Since Kobe and Vanessa Bryant did not have a prenuptial agreement, the next articles produced, such as “Kobe Bryant divorce: Three homes to Vanessa probably just a start,” told what Vanessa Bryant received from Kobe. Articles such as, “Vanessa Bryant gets three homes, $75 million in Kobe Bryant divorce settlement: report” and “Kobe Bryant’s wife Vanessa scores BIG in Divorce” filled the cover of magazines and newspapers. In the articles it talked about how Vanessa received three of the couple’s properties in Newport Beach, California and half of the couple’s total assets, estimated at $150 million. “Vanessa will acquire mansion the couple lived in, as well as the new home they had been building for the past two years. She also reportedly granted a third property where her mother has been living.” (Winton) But was Vanessa with Kobe when he was working out and putting hard hours in the gym practicing to become the superstar he is now? Was she worth half of the couple’s asset? Would she have received all this if she signed a prenup? Why didn’t Kobe Bryant want her to sign a prenuptial agreement before they got married? A lot of professional athletes and wealthy individual have different opinions about prenuptial agreement; prenuptial agreement should be signed by the other individual, man or woman, in most cases.

            A prenuptial agreement is a contract entered into prior to marriage, civil union, or any other agreement prior to the main agreement by the people intending to marry or contract with each other. Although many engaged and married people do not like talking about it, prenup is a smart financial plan. “With about one in three of all first marriages ending in divorce, and fifty percent of second or third ones hitting the skids, a prenup is smart financial planning, legal and financial experts say.” (Bankrate) “A prenuptial accord is a contract between two people about to wed that spells how assets will be distributed in the event of divorce or death. Such agreements have existed for thousands of years in some form or another, particularly in European and Far Eastern cultures, where royal families have always made provision for protecting their wealth.” (Bankrate) Also, another world-known athlete, and billionaire that did not make their wife sign a prenuptial agreement is Tiger Woods.

            Elin Nordegren also filed a divorce paper for her famous, golfer husband Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods was hit with a divorce after his wife found out that Tiger woods was cheating on her. Information came out about Tiger Woods affair when he crashed his car in the middle of the night outside his house a day after Thanksgiving in 2010. Elin Nordegren found out that Tiger was sleeping with seventeen other women. The couple finally made their divorce final, after the nine month scandal. Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren were married for five years. Also like Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods did not make his wife sign a prenuptial agreement. When media found out that there was no prenuptial agreement, they produced articles such as, “Elin Nordegren Gets $750M, Custody of Kids in Exchange for Silence in Tiger Woods Divorce” and “Tiger Woods’ Divorce Settlement Gives Elin $100 Million and Kids.” In the articles it talks about how Elin will receive one-fifth of Tiger’s net worth, which is estimated to be around 100 million dollars, and the custody of their two children. She will also receive the family home in Windermere and an unfinished estate in Jupiter, both in Florida, and also an apartment in Stockholm. But was Elin married to Tiger before he got rich? Was she on the golf range all day with Tiger while he was practicing?

            One of the few instances a person should not have to sign a prenuptial agreement is if they knew the wealthy person before they got rich. If the couple met in college, before they knew that one of them was going to be a first overall pick, and stayed together during the hard times. If the couple was together during the hard times then both of them had to struggle. If the couple used to work together and one of them moved up the ladder to become wealthy then they should not have a prenuptial agreement contract if they get married. Also if they built an organization or company together and get married then they should not have a prenuptial agreement. One example of this is Claire and Anthony Maglica, founders of the Mag Instruments, who built a company and became wealthy together.

            Although Claire and Anthony never actually got married, they lived together for numerous years. Anthony Maglica, a Croatian immigrant, founded his own machine shop business, in 1955. In 1971, he got a divorced and kept the business. The same year he met Claire Halasz. They got on famously, and lived together holding themselves out as man and wife, Claire even changed her last name, but they never actually got married. Anthony was the president of the company while Claire was the secretary. They were paid equal salaries from the business after its incorporation. In 1978, the business began to manufacture flashlights and the business boomed. If they did decide to get married, I do not think Claire should have signed a prenuptial agreement. Even though Anthony already owned the business, it did not really make millions until Claire begin working with the company. Since she was with him before he actually became a millionaire, then she is objected to some of the money. If she met him after the company was booming and she did not work for the company, then it would be a different story because he already would have had the money.

            If wealthy people get a divorce and get married for a second or third time, should they make their new lover sign a prenuptial agreement? If a well-known millionaire or billionaire gets a divorce, I think they should make their new lover sign a prenuptial agreement. In most cases once people know that the person is rich they do not get married for love, they try to get marry for the money. Once people know that a certain individual is rich they will do anything possible to get some of the money. Many examples of this scenario is seen when older billionaires marry young waiters and hotel workers. If a twenty year old woman is showing interest in a seventy-five year old man, people should know that something is strange. There is nothing that a twenty year old woman want from a sixty year old man or older except his money. The millionaire does not even have to be old either. For example, if Kobe Bryant falls in love again and try to get married, he should make his lover sign a prenuptial agreement, even if they are the same age. Although the lover might say that she did not date him for the money, she knew that he was rich and somewhere down the line the money played a part. One billionaire who has not learned his lesson with marriages and prenuptial agreement is Ron Perelman. Ron Perelman has been married numerous of times but still have made any of his wives sign a prenuptial agreement before it became official.

            Ron Perelman is one of the richest men in the United States. He is an investor and a restaurant owner that is worth eleven billion dollars. Although he is a billionaire, he is not the right person for love. Ron Perelman has paid over $138 million in settlements to his four ex-wives. Him and his first wife, Faith Golding, married in 1965 and divorced in 1984 with a divorce settlement of $8 million. His second wife, Claudia Cohens, he married in 1985 and divorced in 1994, received $80 million. After he divorced Claudia Cohens, he married Patricia Duff in 1994. After a short marriage of two years, they divorced and Patricia Duff racked in $30 million for the divorce settlement. He and his fourth wife, Ellen Barkin, got married in 2000. After six years of marriage, the couple also got a divorce and Ellen Barkin received between $20 and $60 million. After the second wife and how much he had to pay out for their divorce settlement, he should have realized that he was giving away a lot of money for divorcement. Before he married his third wife, they should have sat down and talked about an agreement.

            Do you have to be a millionaire or billionaire to need a premarital agreement? “You do not have to be a Rockerfeller or Trump to need a prenuptial agreement. A person who has managed to save $30,000 may be more protective of their little nest egg than someone who has millions.” (Bankrate) Some reasons that you might want to consider having a prenup for is if you have assets such as a home, stock or retirement funds, own all or part of a business, you may be receiving an inheritance, or one of you is much richer than the other. “Also you should consider if one of you will be supporting the other through college, you have or are pursuing a degree or license in a potentially lucrative profession such as medicine, or you could see a big increase in income because your business is taking off.”(Bankrate) It is more middle-class couples filing for a divorce in this generation. Many people that own little businesses are getting a divorce due to the struggles of this hard economy.

            Many people believe that if they sign a prenuptial agreement then their love for each other is not genuine. They believe that if they are not sharing everything they own then they might as well not even get married. With this opinion, many people that might think they should never sign a prenuptial agreement. People that do believe in prenuptial agreements actually believe that their love is more genuine if the other person is not entitled to the money. Some wealthy people believe that some people only show interest in them because they do have money. They want people to sign a prenuptial agreement to show that the love is real and that it is not all about the money.

            If one signs a prenuptial agreement, does that mean they will not receive any money? If a person signs a prenuptial agreement that does not mean that they will not receive anything. If the couple talks about what they want out the agreement then they will receive some benefits. Many billionaires have a heart, so they will be able to agree with some money. The main reason people want others to sign a prenuptial agreement is for they would not try to take all their money. Also if the couple has children, then the individual will still have to pay child support. One example of a couple that had a prenuptial agreement was Michael Jordan and his wife, Juanita. Juanita signed a prenuptial agreement but she still received a large amount of money off the divorce settlement.

            Michael and Juanita Jordan were married for seventeen years. They met back on a blind date in 1984 and got married in 1989, Michael Jordan’s second season with the Chicago Bulls. A year after they got married, both of them signed a prenuptial agreement. Also while they were married, they had three children, Jeffrey Michael, Marcus James, and Jasmine Mickael. They filed for divorce on January 4, 2002 but reconciled thereafter. But after five years later they finally made the divorce official. During the settlement, since Juanita signed a prenuptial agreement, she received half of Michael Jordan money which totaled $168 million and their seven-acre estate in Chicago.

            How does one bring up prenuptial agreement to their love one without them getting mad? Should one even bring up prenuptial agreement? A discussion about prenuptial agreement is touchy but it should be brought up as early as possible. Experts suggest that a person should bring up the discussion even before the engagement. “The mention of a prenup should not come as a surprise if you and your sweetheart have been open with each other as the relationship became serious.” “Let your intended know you believe these agreements are important and that you’d like to go over the topic.” (Dunnan) If an individual overacts about the prenuptial agreement then they might was trying to get the money all along. Also when an individual bring up the topic they must be honest. If the person is not honest during the contract, then the whole contract could be void.

            Although prenuptial agreement is a touchy subject, it is still a good idea to have one. Although a lot of people do not think they will get a divorce, studies and surveys have revealed that most couples do get a divorce. A divorce can cause a lot of stress and emotion on an individual life and one way to make a divorce easier is to know what you will get before the divorce will even happen. Even though some people think that having a prenuptial agreement is bad, I believe that the good out ways the bad. Prenuptial agreements can save a lot of time, money for lawyers, energy and headaches for the two individuals.

Works Cited

Bankrate. “Everything you need to know about prenuptial agreements.” Bankrate. Bankrate,Inc. 2012. http://www.bankrate.com/brm/prenup.asp#2

Reicher, Michael. “Kobe Bryant divorce: Wife Vanessa gets $18.8 million in property.” Los Angeles Times. 21 January 2012. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/01/kobe-bryant-divorce-wife-vanessa-gets-188-million-in-property.html

Winton, Richard. “Kobe Bryant divorce: Couple divides assets despite kiss photo.” Los Angeles Times. 20 February 2012. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/02/kobe-bryant-divorce-couple-divides-assets-despite-kiss-photo.html

“Elin Nordegren Gets $750M, Custody of kids in Exchange for Silence in Tiger Woods Divorce.” Fox News. 30 June 2012. http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2010/06/30/elin-nordegren-gets-m-custody-kids-exchange-silence-tiger-woods-divorce/

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Annotated Bibliography

"Lessons from Disney Movies. . . " Wordpress. Managed Khoos, 12 Feb. 2012. Web. 20 March 2012 <managedkhaos.wordpress.com/>

This blog is about the message a woman got out of The Lion King when she was watching it with her son. She talks about when Rafiki hits Simba on the head and tells him "Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way i see it, you can either run from it, or. . . learn from it." She talks about how this quote can be used for real life situations.

Nenzoi, Wadzanai. Inspirational-quotes-changes-lives. "Disney Movie Quotes". n.d. Web. 17 March. 2012 <www.inspirational-quotes-change-lives.com/ >

This blog name some of the quotes that are mentioned in Disney Movies. It name some of the quotes and tell what movie they are from. I used this blog to pick some of my quotes.

"10 Lessons Learned from Classic Disney Movies." National Nannies. Blog. 20 Mar. 2012. Web. 21 March 2012 <www.nationalnannies.com>

This blog talks about ten lessons the author learned from watching disney movies. The author listed ten different disney classics and talked about what she learned from them all.

"Mulan." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 22 July 2004. Web. 19 March 2012. <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulan>

This website tells about the movie Mulan . It tells when it was produced and who produced it. It also has a summary about the movie and name some of the characters.

"Disney Movies." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 22 July 2004. Web. 19 March 2012. <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney Movies>

This website names all the movies Disney created. It tells when it came out and if it was nominated for any award. I used this website to get some information on the movies I used.

The flower that blooms in Adversity is the Most Rare and Beautiful of All

Mulan is also one of the children's movies that Disney created. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on June 19, 1998. It is the 36th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, and a part of the Disney Renaissance, the film is based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan. Mulan is ranked number eleven in the Top 25 Disney Movies. Disney also released a sequel, Mulan II, in 2005.

Mulan had tough times throughout the movie. She decides to take her father place in the army since he is elderly and the only man in the family. Since Mulan was a woman she had to learn how to behave like a boy and fight with the other men in the Huns. Mulan faced adversity for being the only woman in the army and had to reveal herself after she was slashed in one of her battles. Once the leader found out that she was a woman, he spared her life but made her stay on the mountain while the rest of the army departed. At the end of the movie, Mulan comes back to save the army and defeat the enemies.

"The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all" is a quote from the movie. I have heard a lot of quotes similar to this but not this exact one. Anybody can succeed when they do not have to worry about any negative things but some people fold with adversity. Some people do not know how to handle problems and just shut down and lose it when they are faced with them. This quote is saying that a person who can handle adversity is the best type of person. Mulan could have easily gave up on the army after they let her go but she fought to keep them safe. If a person faces adversity and still shine then they have shown that they are a leader.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Sometimes the Right Path is Not the Easiest One

Pocahontas is also one of the classic children movies that Disney created. It is the 33rd animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classic series and was released on June 23, 1995. Pocahontas is the first animated feature Disney film to be based on a real historic character, based on the known history and also the folklore and legend that surround the Native American Pocahontas, and features a fictionalized account with Englishman John Smith and the settlers that arrived from the Virginia Company. Although it is not listed as one of Disney's Top 25 Movies, it is still one of the most famous movies.

"Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one" is a powerful quote in the movie. Although it was a line in the movie, this quote can be used in real life as well. Most people follow other people's path instead of creating their own. They follow other people's path even if they know that it is not the right path for them. They are afraid to branch off from others and do the right thing, even if it does mean creating your own path. 

This quote is trying to tell people that is alright to make a new path. Making your own path might take a little time and hardwork, but it will pay off. Even if you feel that the path already there is not the right one, then you can create your own. If you decide to create your own path then you also paved the way for people that want to do the right thing and follow you.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Ohana

"Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind. Or forgotten" is a quote that was said in the disney movie Lilo & Stitch. Lilo & Stitch is one of the children's classics that Disney Entertainment created. Although Lilo & Stitch is not one of the top 25 Disney Movies, it still has been viewed by millions of people. It was released on July 21, 2002 and was a nominee for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Disney also released a television series called Lilo & Stitch: The Series, which ran from September 20, 2003 to July 29, 2006.

In the movie, family played a significant part. There were three main characters in the movie: Experiment 626, a blue little alien, Lilo, and her big sister Nani. Experiment 626 is Dr. Jumba Jookiba experiment that was supposed to be exiled on a desert asteroid but somehow he escape to the Planet Earth, landing on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. When he arrived on Earth he was knocked unconscious by a passing truck, and taken to an animal shelter because he was believed to be a breed of dog by the truck driver. Nani and Lilo are sisters and after their parents died in a car accident, Nani had to take care of Lilo. After Nani realized that Lilo was going through a lot of problems and didn't really have friends, she let Lilo adopt a dog. When Lilo went to the animal shelter she chose 626 and named him Stitch. Although all three of them were faced with problems, they realized that they were family and they had to stick together. 

The quote "Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind. Or forgotten" can be used in real life as well. Family should be the most important relationship to a person. When people have nobody else in the world, they should always have their family to fall back upon. Family members should have each other back through anything. Family should never judge or envy each other, they should love each other through anything. Even if they know that one family member needs help, then they should be the first one to come to try provide assistance.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Hakuna Matata

The Lion King is ranked as the top disney movie ever created. It came out on June 24, 1994. It is so entertaining and well-liked that the producers came back out with it last year in 3-D. Although it is entertaining, it teaches numerous life lessons. People also say that The Lion King is an animal movie about the play "Hamlet."


Hakuna Matata is one phrase that people learned from The Lion King. "Hakuna Matata" played a pretty colossal role in the movie. Hakuna Matata means no worries and it was said to Simba after he ran away from pride rock and after Timon and Pumbaa found him. The phrase was so important in the movie that they created a song out of it. After Timon and Pumbaa told Simba this, he stopped focusing on the negative things in the past and started living his life again.

Hakuna Matata can be used in every day life as well. If a person is stressing out over something then they can use this motto. Living a stress-free life can help a person live a couple of years longer. People should not let one situation or problem, little or big, get them down. If they feel pressure then they should drop the situation and use the motto "Hakuna Matata".