I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.

I ordered a burger at McDonald’s and the kid behind the counter asked,
“Can you afford fries with that?”

CEO’s are now playing miniature golf.

If the bank returns your check marked “Insufficient Funds,” you call them and ask if they meant you or them.

Hot Wheels and Matchbox stocks are trading higher than GM.

McDonald’s is selling the 1/4 ouncer.

Parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their children’s names.

A truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico.

Dick Cheney took his stockbroker hunting.

Motel Six won’t leave the light on anymore.

The Mafia is laying off judges.

Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.

And, finally…

I was so depressed last night thinking about the economy, wars, jobs, my savings, Social Security, retirement funds, etc., I called the Suicide Lifeline. I got a call center in Pakistan, and when I told them I was suicidal, they got all excited, and asked if I could drive a truck..

http://www.logcluster.org/ops/hti10a/UNHAS-HAITI-BOOKING-FORM.xls/view

HAITI Logistics Cluster
Page 2 of 3
Passenger service PAP-SDQ: For now, passenger flights from Port-au-Prince to Santo Domingo are
booked by UNHAS in person at the MINUSTAH Log Base.
Cargo service: Helicopter deliveries to specific locations in Haiti can be accommodated. Details should
be given to the Logistics Cluster 24 hours prior to the flight, 48 hours in the case of new locations
requiring an assessment flight (unlikely to be necessary for UNHAS but probably required for US heavylift
aircraft). However possible delivery locations in within PAP are limited. Cargo Movement Requests
(and all enquiries regarding cargo movement should be sent to haiti.cargo@logcluster.org
• Organisations with a mandate not to use military assets can inform the Logistics Cluster and only
inter-agency assets will be tasked.
4 Surface Transport
• Standard Operating Procedures are being prepared and will be disseminated.
• Cargo Movement Request (CMR) forms are available at http://www.logcluster.org/ops/hti10a
• Completed CMRs should be sent to haiti.cargo@logcluster.org
5 Sea Transport
• US navy and army divers will start port repairs at the Port-au-Prince sea port on 22 Jan. For now only
the south pier is open and capacity is very limited.
• Containerized goods arriving by sea in Santo Domingo can either be de-stuffed and consolidated or
brought in directly in containers. If goods are booked directly through to Port-au-Prince shipping lines
will respond accordingly.
6 Warehousing
• The Logistics Cluster is increasing interagency storage capacity in Port-au-Prince, as well as bringing in
equipment and increasing personnel at the existing site.
• Atlas/Handicap International is considering establishing interagency storage in Petit Goave, in
coordination with the Logistics Cluster.
• TSR (Temporary Storage Request) forms are available at http://www.logcluster.org/ops/hti10a
7 Dominican Republic
• The Logistics Cluster Cell in Santo Domingo is fully activated and able to receive cargo at the airport,
store it and transport it to Port-au-Prince. The Logistics Cluster Cell also coordinates convoys with
MINUSTAH for escorts from Jimani border to Port-au-Prince.
• The primary focal point for these operations is the Logistics Cluster cell in Santo Domingo – contact
logcluster.sdq@wfp.org
• All organisations planning to ship cargo to Haiti through the Dominican Republic should maintain a
staff presence in the Dominican Republic if they are planning medium to large scale operations in Haiti.
HAITI Logistics Cluster
Page 3 of 3
8 Fuel
• As an emergency measure, the Logistics Cluster can supply some fuel to organisations who have not
yet made their own arrangements. A system for the Cluster to facilitate access to fuel will be
established in the near future.
9 Pipeline
• All organizations operating in the Haiti Earthquake response have been asked to provide their pipeline
information to the Logistics Cluster so an overview of assistance can be made available to the
humanitarian community, the government and donors. This should be forwarded to
Global.LogisticsCluster@wfp.org
LOGISTICS CLUSTER CONTACTS
Port-au-Prince
HAITI
o Andrew Stanhope, Logistics Cluster Coordinator
andrew.stanhope@wfp.org, Tel + 503 7861 5152
o Edmondo Perrone, Logistics Officer
edmondo.perrone@wfp.org; Tel +509 3701 2341
o Baptiste Burgaud, Logistics Officer
baptiste.burgaud@wfp.org; Tel +39 349 050 7280
o Esther Russell, Information Management Officer
esther.russell@wfp.org; Tel n/a
Santo Domingo
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
o Irving Prado, Logistics Cluster Coordinator
irving.prado@wfp.org; Tel +39 340 956 7291
o Henrik Hansen, Head WFP Logistics
henrik.hansen@wfp.org; Tel +39 348 528 4715
o Martin Liebl, Logistics Officer (THW Secondee)
martin.liebl@gmx.de; Tel +18 299 943 575
o EvaKristin Pedersen, Information Management Officer
evakristin.pedersen@wfp.org; Tel n/a

LOGISTICS CLUSTER

HAITI SITUATION REPORT

Date: 22/1/2010

1 Logistics Cluster meetings

• In addition to regular Logistics Cluster meetings in Port-au-Prince, a separate meeting will be held on

Saturday 23 January at 09:30 for all organisations in Haiti working outside of Port-au-Prince.

• For times and locations of Logistics Cluster meetings in Port-au-Prince and Santo Domingo please

contact Logistics Cluster teams.

2 Civil Military Coordination

• There is ongoing daily coordination between the Logistics Cluster, USAID/OFDA, the US Military and

the Canadian Military for the use of assets to deliver humanitarian cargo.

• All tasking for the use of these assets is done through the Logistics Cluster, which assesses the best

means of transport using military or interagency assets and makes the necessary arrangements.

• Yesterday US heavy-lift helicopters delivered 10 tons of high-volume NFI to Jacmel for Diakoni.

• Common coordination offices will be set up, including the Logistics Cluster and representatives of the

US Military and MINUSTAH.

3 Air Operations

Port au Prince Toussaint L’Ouverture International Airport

• There are 30-50 flights per day entering PAP with international humanitarian cargo.

• The flow of aircraft is not expected to slow in the near future. Flights should be diverted to Santo

Domingo if the cargo is not carrying life-saving items required within two or three days.

• The Logistics Cluster can arrange entry to the Log Base at the airport for organisations planning to visit

the humanitarian cargo village, if informed in advance.

Santo Domingo Las Americas International Airport

• Las Americas airport in Santo Domingo is also starting to experience congestion problems. Additional

slots are being opened to operate from 22h00 to 07h00.

UNHAS

• UNHAS has a presence at Port-au-Prince airport, currently at the DHL office, and can give on-site

assistance.

• Passenger service SDQ-PAP: Two passenger flights a day managed by UNHAS are taking place – from

now on these will depart from La Isabela International Airport in Santo Domingo. A second aircraft

will soon be added to increase capacity.

• Flights from Santo Domingo are booked through submission of a Passenger Request Form to

unhaspax.haiti@wfp.org Forms can be downloaded from:

http://www.logcluster.org/ops/hti10a/UNHAS-HAITI-BOOKING-FORM.xls/view

HAITI Logistics Cluster

Page 2 of 3

Passenger service PAP-SDQ: For now, passenger flights from Port-au-Prince to Santo Domingo are

booked by UNHAS in person at the MINUSTAH Log Base.

Cargo service: Helicopter deliveries to specific locations in Haiti can be accommodated. Details should

be given to the Logistics Cluster 24 hours prior to the flight, 48 hours in the case of new locations

requiring an assessment flight (unlikely to be necessary for UNHAS but probably required for US heavylift

aircraft). However possible delivery locations in within PAP are limited. Cargo Movement Requests

(and all enquiries regarding cargo movement should be sent to haiti.cargo@logcluster.org

• Organisations with a mandate not to use military assets can inform the Logistics Cluster and only

inter-agency assets will be tasked.

4 Surface Transport

• Standard Operating Procedures are being prepared and will be disseminated.

• Cargo Movement Request (CMR) forms are available at http://www.logcluster.org/ops/hti10a

• Completed CMRs should be sent to haiti.cargo@logcluster.org

5 Sea Transport

• US navy and army divers will start port repairs at the Port-au-Prince sea port on 22 Jan. For now only

the south pier is open and capacity is very limited.

• Containerized goods arriving by sea in Santo Domingo can either be de-stuffed and consolidated or

brought in directly in containers. If goods are booked directly through to Port-au-Prince shipping lines

will respond accordingly.

6 Warehousing

• The Logistics Cluster is increasing interagency storage capacity in Port-au-Prince, as well as bringing in

equipment and increasing personnel at the existing site.

• Atlas/Handicap International is considering establishing interagency storage in Petit Goave, in

coordination with the Logistics Cluster.

• TSR (Temporary Storage Request) forms are available at http://www.logcluster.org/ops/hti10a

7 Dominican Republic

• The Logistics Cluster Cell in Santo Domingo is fully activated and able to receive cargo at the airport,

store it and transport it to Port-au-Prince. The Logistics Cluster Cell also coordinates convoys with

MINUSTAH for escorts from Jimani border to Port-au-Prince.

• The primary focal point for these operations is the Logistics Cluster cell in Santo Domingo – contact

logcluster.sdq@wfp.org

• All organisations planning to ship cargo to Haiti through the Dominican Republic should maintain a

staff presence in the Dominican Republic if they are planning medium to large scale operations in Haiti.

HAITI Logistics Cluster

Page 3 of 3

8 Fuel

• As an emergency measure, the Logistics Cluster can supply some fuel to organisations who have not

yet made their own arrangements. A system for the Cluster to facilitate access to fuel will be

established in the near future.

9 Pipeline

• All organizations operating in the Haiti Earthquake response have been asked to provide their pipeline

information to the Logistics Cluster so an overview of assistance can be made available to the

humanitarian community, the government and donors. This should be forwarded to

Global.LogisticsCluster@wfp.org

LOGISTICS CLUSTER CONTACTS

Port-au-Prince

HAITI

o Andrew Stanhope, Logistics Cluster Coordinator

andrew.stanhope@wfp.org, Tel + 503 7861 5152

o Edmondo Perrone, Logistics Officer

edmondo.perrone@wfp.org; Tel +509 3701 2341

o Baptiste Burgaud, Logistics Officer

baptiste.burgaud@wfp.org; Tel +39 349 050 7280

o Esther Russell, Information Management Officer

esther.russell@wfp.org; Tel n/a

Santo Domingo

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

o Irving Prado, Logistics Cluster Coordinator

irving.prado@wfp.org; Tel +39 340 956 7291

o Henrik Hansen, Head WFP Logistics

henrik.hansen@wfp.org; Tel +39 348 528 4715

o Martin Liebl, Logistics Officer (THW Secondee)

martin.liebl@gmx.de; Tel +18 299 943 575

o EvaKristin Pedersen, Information Management Officer

evakristin.pedersen@wfp.org; Tel n/a

Top Ten Signs You’ve Eaten Too Much at Thanksgiving Dinner
(from David Letterman’s Top Ten Lists)

10. Hundreds of volunteers have started to stack sandbags around you.

9. Doctor tells you your weight would be perfect for a man 17 feet tall.

8. You are responsible for a slight but measurable shift in the earth’s axis.

7. Right this minute you’re laughing up pie on the carpet.

6. You decide to take a little nap and wake up in mid-July.

5. World’s fattest man sends you a telegram, warning you to “back off!”

4. CBS tells you to lose weight or else.

3. Getting off your couch requires help from the fire department.

2. Every escalator you step on immediately grinds to a halt.

1. You’re sweatin’ gravy.

Thanksgiving Divorce

A man in Phoenix calls his son in New York the day before Thanksgiving and says,”I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough.

“Pop, what are you talking about?” the son screams. We can’t stand the sight of each other any longer,” the father says. “We’re sick of each other, and I’m sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her.”

Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. “Like heck they’re getting divorced,” she shouts, “I’ll take care of this,”

She calls Phoenix immediately, and screams at her father, “You are NOT getting divorced. Don’t do a single thing until I get there. I’m calling my brother back, and we’ll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don’t do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?” and hangs up.

The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. “Okay,” he says, “they’re coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own way.”

Property values are all over the place.   Appraisers are tip-toeing around, not sure what to do about values in today’s market.  Most of the time, they just appraise the property at the sales price, thus not rocking the boat.

Oceanfront condos that were selling for $330K, are now selling for $110K.  Yes, that’s right:  they are selling for a 66% discount off the 2005 price!!!  Sure they are bank owned, but then again, what isn’t these days?

Most of my business is now foreclosure based (about 75% of it).   Bank Owned properties are relatively easy to deal with.  There is no rhyme or reason to it all and it all hinges on which asset manager is handing that property and what day of the week it is.  I have seen banks turn down a $430K offer, only to accept a $330K offer several weeks later on the same property.  Lose $100K?  Are they crazy?  What do you think?

Incapable listing agents have a preponderance of these properties.  They do little advertising, they are hard to reach and deal with and frankly most of them are quite obtuse.  Going through a transaction with one of these “foreclosure hogs” is like having root canal for 4 weeks.  PLLLLLEASE!!!   Will some asset managers pay attention and spread the business around to more capable agents?  We are having a real problem here, one that contributes to this deluge of “stale” properties.

Luckily there are a few capable ones and I prefer to deal with them.   They will actually work to get these bank owned homes sold and once I bring an offer, we generally manage to get the deal closed.  Thank God for you Foreclosure Queens (you know who you are, and so do the agents in the area – I, myself, am working toward that status right now, having some great bank clients that actually listen to me and take my advice).

As an REO Agent deep in the trenches of today’s capricious market, here is my advice to Buyers:

1.  Stay away from short sales!   They take forever, and many of them eventually go to foreclosure.  You are told you have the property, but you may never close on it, all the while losing other better deals.

2.  Bid, bid, bid!  There are neighborhoods where we don’t have a single comp for over a year.  Evaluating property in such a neighborhood is difficult.  Make an offer!  You may write 20 offers before one sticks, but one will eventually do so.   Don’t be afraid to bid on the same home several times.  That $489K home that you bid $270K on last week?  Come back and bid $290K this week!  If that doesn’t work, bid $300K next week.  I just sold a home with a similar scenario.  The Buyer ended up paying only $310K for a home priced at $489K.

3.  If a deal is what you’re after, you can’t fall in love with the home.  Just as it is in Life, you’ll end up paying more for it if you do…

4.  Work with an REO experienced agent.  I started work on my REO certifications at the end of 2007, and that was a very smart thing to do.  I know how to navigate the REO waters and it makes a world of difference to my clients’ pockets…  Don’t expect me to taxi you around and treat you like a Diva; it’s just not going to happen.  I will give you a daily supply of listings and you’ll be on your own to do all the driving around and previewing property.   Once you find what you like, I will arrange the interior showing with one of my agents.  If you like what you see, that’s where I come in and earn my keep.   You will do very well.  When all is said and done you will be sitting pretty financially, having garnered an extraordinary buy, for pennies on the dollar.  Time frame for success?   It can happen in one day; it can happen in three months.  Patience may be required.

5.  CASH is King!   Making a Real Estate Purchase in Cash is not all that unusual nowadays in our REO World.  Don’t expect the Bank to believe that you have money either; you have to actually PROVE it.   Bank statements illustrating your dough should suffice.  You have to attach it to your offer, along with a serious earnest money deposit.  You want to impress the Bank to take your offer over all the others, don’t you?

6.  NO CASH?  No problem!  Just apply for a loan with a reputable Lender BEFORE you start shopping for Bank Owned properties.  Banks will not accept your measly Lender letter anymore.  They want hard proof that you can BUY that home; the Bank wants a “Commitment Letter”.  That means that you’ve submitted all your tax forms for the past two years, your formal application, your pay stubs etc.  The application was run through underwriting and they deemed you worthy of the loan for that specific amount.   Are you starting to see a pattern here?  Yup!  It’s the Good ol’ Golden Rule: “He who has the Gold, makes the Rule”…

7.  Last, but not Least: BUY, BUY, BUY!  Today’s market will be referred to as the Market that made and broke people.  You don’t want to tell your grand kids:  “If only I had bought in 2009…”

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection

There are currently 6,453 active Condo listings in the Myrtle Beach MLS.

During the past 90 days, 798 condos have been sold in the Myrtle Beach area.

At this rate (4.12% sales activity per month), it will take over two years to run out of inventory.  This is a significant improvement over past activity: the figures for August of last year indicated a 2.60% Condo sales activity, which translated into 3 years, 2.5 months to exhaust inventory.

Aside from the great improvement of our Condo Market, some specifics are worth noting:

Of these 6,453 listings, fully 850 (a whopping 13.17%) of them are spoken for:

426             pending financing

227              pending contingency contract

58               pending other contingency

139             pending cash terms

I have never relied on the media to tell me when it was time to buy.  I’ve always looked to the numbers for the truth.  These figures speak loud and clear:

This remarkable 13.17% “pending” activity, the highest we’ve had on condos in several years, clearly signals a shift.   If you are still sitting there in your easy chair waiting for some analyst to tell you it’s time to buy, think again: You’re already just a bit late, but if you hurry up, you’ll still ride the wave!

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Condo Connection

I started the Optimist Group because I did not like all the gloom and doom that is constantly and consistently deluging our World.  Enough lamenting, please!!!

Show me the Hope!  Show me the Gratitude!  Show me the Optimism!  Merely being alive is a minor miracle.  Virtually millions of systems have to work in unison in order for each one of us to wake up in the morning.  Our days are numbered.  Why not make the best of them?

If you are going to compare your life to the perceived existence of the superstars, your days will not be too sunny.   Instead, just look around you and notice the many that are so much less fortunate than yourself.  When you feel depressed, just spend an hour in a nursing home or a hospital; I assure you, you’ll come out of there skipping and counting your blessings!

…Which brings me full circle to today’s topic:  Keeping a Gratitude Journal.  Write down five things you are grateful for right now.  Yes, right now!  Just do it, and then come back and finish reading the blog.  Trust me on this one!

Thank you for complying with my request!  Don’t you feel better now?  All the silly little things like bills and deadlines sure don’t seem as important anymore, when you consider the BIG things that you have been blessed with.

For those of you fortunate enough to have an I-Phone (yet another thing to be grateful for), you can download the Gratitude Application for a mere dollar.  I have it.  I use it.  I love it!   The journal is visually pleasing and cute.   You can attach a picture to your entry, enjoy inspirational quotes after you post and have it all neatly organized by the date.  You can even rate your day from one to five stars.

Start today: write down five things you are grateful for on a daily basis for the next two months and you’ll see how much your life will change!

Life is Short.  Live it Well!  Gratitude is the seed of happiness…

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Connection

It doesn’t matter what you need.  What matters is what the market commands. If you need to sell your property for $250,000 and the current comps for similar properties indicate a value of $168,000, you need to price yours at $165,000.  It doesn’t matter if your home is the nicest one in the development.  If it is and you price it correctly, it will sell the fastest.

Pricing has everything to do with selling. That’s usually the case.   That’s true now more than ever.

Put your best foot forward: Stage your home, keep it clean and orderly, set the thermostat on the right temperature.

For your Realtor:  make sure your Realtor gives you a monthly report. Any and all advertising done on your property, any and all showings and comments on your property, how it’s presented to the other agents in the MLS, any fliers, cards, cross marketing, Internet exposure, etc.

Are you front page on Google? All my listings are presented on the first page of Google by the address and they all have their very own websites.  With a plethora of available listings, you can’t afford to have an Agent who’s clueless to the power of the Internet…

You also want to make sure you know what’s selling in your neighborhood. Your Realtor should keep you up to date via automatic e-mail or by monthly report, with any new listings competing with your property and any new sales.  Typically the best priced listing gets the most showings, the most interest and usually sells the fastest.  You want to stay on top of your competition.   Remember, you are not only competing with your neighbors, you are now also competing with the banks…

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection

Asking price:  $167,432 on a Bank Owned property in an oceanfront building where similar listings are still priced at over $200K.  My investor client asked me to put in a bid for $125,000.  The bank approved it.  SOLD!

Asking price on a short sale:  $190,000 in an Oceanfront building where similar condos are still listed for up to $300,000.  My investor bid $154,000 for it.  The bank finally accepted $168,000.  We closed last week.

I just received a request to bid on a short sale home currently priced at $549,900, the least expensive home ever sold in that neighborhood.  The lead came from Active Rain.  The investor wants to bid $260,000.  Will I write it up?  You bet!  Why?  Because the bank might actually take it!

Here are some deals you could bid on:  Luxury condo on Waterway.  Asking price $299,900.

Waterway community custom home, 4BR/3BA.  Originally priced at $799K.  The bank now owns it and listed it with me for $489K.

Just check out our website for current REO deals at:  http://www.myrtlebeachhomes.us/Homes or www.BankOwnedInMyrtleBeach.com

Go ahead:  insult the Seller!  I will be glad to do it for you!

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach REO Source