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Regarding the near-constant subway delays:

[Reading a book is] a paltry coping technique when faced with the angst of a serious delay, when a quick hop underground turns into an interminable wait on an ever-crowding platform with no more information than an occasional belch from the loudspeaker. [Subway rider Sacha Newley] and hundreds of thousands of other passengers have found themselves in that very situation over the past two months, forced by an epidemic of power failures and track fires to count the tiles, reread Us Weekly, stare forlornly into the abyss or debate whether to give it up and take a cab.

Congrats to US Weekly for being slightly preferable to "the abyss."

As Subways Slow, Riders Play Waiting Games [NYT]