On a recent day, with light traffic, their prospects looked grim.
On Columbus Circle, as pedestrians in business suits and stiletto heels, accompanied by dogs and strollers, and sometimes even romantically in pairs, race willy-nilly into traffic, the prospect of an antijaywalking revolution looks dim.
Both too had decent jobs, further challenging the perception that those vulnerable to trafficking were without prospects or already mired in the sex trade.
Therefore, today, even though running a daily deal may place acute stress on a business not prepared for it, new media companies can simply drive foot traffic, and that prospect alone will likely make any merchant in a competitive situation seriously consider it.
At a time when global warming has led to more vessel traffic and the prospect of oil exploration in areas once permanently covered by sea ice, Congress has refused to fund new ships that could reach a sinking cruise ship or oil spill in the far north.
As the parking problems and traffic jams increase, the prospect of leaving home for even a stick of butter becomes an exercise in anxiety.
A day after the collapse of a national unity government led by Rafik Hariri's son, Saad Hariri, the capital was more troubled by traffic jams than the prospect of fighting.
Mr. Morsi's supporters blocked major thoroughfares in parts of Cairo, snarling traffic and raising the prospect of further escalation, while Tahrir Square remained the domain of the anti-Morsi side.
But with traffic clotted and the prospect of new bridge and tunnel construction unlikely, many transportation planners see ferries as part of a solution to the region's congestion woes.
Missed deadlines, traffic gridlock and the prospect of embarrassing no-shows are as much a feature of this year's gathering of the Democratic faithful as they are of goings-on in Athens.
