The US military has taken control of the (wreckage of the) presidential palace, and Port-au-Prince's general hospital. Thankfully, capitalism is quickly being reestablished.

The streets of Port-au-Prince contained scenes of commerce and activity Tuesday morning, instead of just devastation and death. Merchants sold fruits and vegetables amid the rubble of destroyed businesses. More cars were winding through the debris-strewn streets.

Women walked with baskets on their heads filled with fruit, cookies an other sundries, functioning as mobile stores. At a homeless encampment at a golf course in the Bourdon neighborhood, impromptu markets have opened up, though prices were high. A woman frying chicken in a pot outside her tent sold each piece for 30 gourde, about $1 - half a day's wages here. Another woman offered scoops of rice from a large sack balanced on her head, about 30 gourde for a cup and a half, about double the cost before the earthquake.

(Our military presence there is not exactly unwelcome, though the French are a bit wary.)

Meanwhile, another earthquake with a 5.8 magnitude struck the Cayman Islands this morning. Thankfully, the business operations of UBS, Fortress, and Citco were unaffected.

(Another earthquake struck Guatemala and parts of El Salvador yesterday. There were no reports of death or damage.)