Two Versions of the Same Story

On Thursdays, we run two "New York City News Briefs," usually hitting a total of about 300 or 400 words summarizing articles reported by other city news sources that may be interesting to students but which probably aren't published in the Times and may otherwise evade the notice of Columbia students.
But on Thursdays, we also tend to get a little bit punchy and often find that the office is the latest it is all week, the slowest it is all week, and, either in spite or because of those things, the most creative all week.
With that introduction, I present both our published draft and our first draft--which we tried to write entirely in the titles of songs by Busta Rhymes--of one of yesterday's NYC Briefs.


Busta Rhymes Likely to Avoid Jail

It appears as though rapper and actor Busta Rhymes is going to avoid jail time regarding his alleged beating up of his former driver and a former fan, the New York Post reported Wednesday.
After rejecting an offer that would have landed Rhymes in jail for six months, Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Tanya Kennedy offered him a separate deal consisting of three weeks of community service, six months of anger management, and three years of probation, of which two will be spent talking to young people about “the perils of violence,” the Post reported.
Rhymes’ attorney Scott Leemon told the Post that, while he and his client denied that Rhymes ever committed the charges, “We will consider it [the deal].”


Busta Busts Outta Jail

It appears as though rapper and actor Busta Rhymes is going to "Bounce" after telling an attorney in the prosecutor's office "You Ain't Fuckin' Wit Me," rejecting a deal that would have put him in jail for six months for some "Street Shit" that he is accused of doing "All Night," beating up his former driver and a former fan, the New
York Post reported Wednesday.
"Against All Odds," the paper said that he could see the "Finish Line," likely with a "Get Out!!" of jail free after a Manhattan judge offered him a separate deal consisting of three weeks of community service, six months of anger management, and three years of probation.
Rhymes was not quoted as saying, "Bladow!! … It's All Good," but we wish that he had been.