I was watching the program 'Shark Tank' on television a little while back and as usual a new entrepreneur was trying to win over some of the sharks to make a deal to promote a novel, new product he was marketing through schools and colleges. Only one shark was willing to go along with his proposal and he wanted a much larger percentage equity in his company than he originally offered. Eventually, he did not take the deal, turned around and walked out of the shark tank empty handed, so to speak. As he was leaving, Mark Cuban said the phrase which is the title of this article, he said, "No deal is better than a bad deal" ....yes it most definitely is.
But then I asked myself the following question, "Why do people take these bad deals?"; "Why do people settle for less than they're really worth?" As I explored these important questions, I realized that some people are so anxious to get a deal that they settle for just about anything. This is obviously not good, as some people leave themselves wide open to be taken advantage of by unscrupulous people just looking for someone to take advantage of. People allow themselves to be taken advantage of due to a lack of confidence in themselves stemming from low self-esteem.
So, when you go into business for yourself or you're trying to make a good deal business-wise with someone; for God's sake don't sell yourself short. Have faith in yourself and insist on getting what you feel is rightfully yours. Whatever you do, don't get taken advantage of, for as today's title puts it, 'No deal is better than a bad deal'.

o Think about it!
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I was recently at the Toussaint Louverture airport in Port au Prince, Haiti, departing for New York City; the real action was not with JetBlue or American Airlines passengers leaving for the Big Apple, but with the LAN airline transporting Haitian migrants to Chile. It looked like a well-organized conspiracy orchestrated by several entities; the airline, the traffickers, and different governments all working in tandem for a human tragedy occurring with the open knowledge of everyone concerned. Some 300 young Haitian men and women were vying to find a seat on a plane that seats only 150.
Upon further inquiry, I was told the same scene has been repeated every day for months at the airport. A year ago, the destination was Brazil for Haitian migrants trying to reach California. President Donald Trump put a stop to this human trek by closing the borders to those migrants at Tijuana, Mexico.
Some ten years ago, in an essay on the Dominica experience, I alerted officials to the human trafficking observed in the Nature Island. Hundreds of Haitian women were trying to reach Martinique via Dominica with the complicity of all parties involved.
The Dominica government took notice and informed those Haitian people they were welcome in Dominica, not as victims of traffickers, but as true citizens. The Dominica experience has since been one of the most satisfying for the Haitian migrants, they have contributed to revitalizing the economy of Dominica and they have saved LIAT from bankruptcy due to their frequent visits to Haiti.

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Haitian migration might have started even before Haiti became an independent nation. It has its genesis in the days when the Haitian Revolution between 1789 and 1803 could have gone either way, for the French colonists led by Rochambeau and his ferocious dogs set upon the freedom fighters, or for the Haitians led by Toussaint Louverture and later Jean Jacques Dessalines.
Several property owners fled with their slaves, first to Cuba and then to New Orleans, Louisiana, building the first Creole enclave on the American continent with the savor and the spice that characterizes the Caribbean joie de vivre.
Even before that event there was a huge fire in French Cape (later Cape Haitian) in 1793 that caused some 10,000 French settlers and free blacks to migrate to New Orleans, Charleston, Savannah, Baltimore and Philadelphia, transforming forever the texture of these cities in religion, music, cuisine and architecture.
The Haitians encountered the hostility of the segregationists, who opposed the newcomers with their emancipator and dangerous doctrines proffered "by insolents, insubordinate and ungovernable Negroes". Yet their influence was decisive in helping to win the Civil War. Louisiana, albeit today a regressive state in terms of social mobility, was woven with the influence of the Haitian migration, in religion (Catholic and voodoo) and in politics, with equal access to public accommodation before the rest of the United States.
To conclude this first migratory episode, Haitians left the United States in general, the Louisiana Purchase territory in particular (acquired by the United States through the bravura of the Haitian founding fathers), in much better shape than it was before. One should note the singular signature of some of the Haitian migrants of that era, in particular: Jean Baptiste le Sable who built the city of Chicago and Pierre Toussaint, a hairdresser, who might become the first black man elevated to sainthood in the United States following the steps of St Augustine in Christendom via Africa.

The second wave of migrants to Cuba
Around 1915 and later the second wave of migration occurred from Haiti, especially to Cuba. It was due to the expropriation by the Haitian government of land owned by the peasants for the benefit of the great American companies such as the Standard Fruit and the Dauphin Plantation. Some 10,000 workers left to man the sugar plantations also owned by the Americans in Cuba. They faced discrimination and ostracism due to their language (Creole), their religion (voodoo), and their lack of education.
But soon, as today in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Haitians earned a reputation "as the most efficient and most exploitable segment of the labor force". Yet, the vicious circle of opening and closing the gate for the sugar industry caused, as in the Dominican Republic today, the forced repatriation of some 40,000 Haitian migrants by the year 1936.
Before Fidel and Raul Castro, the presence of the Haitian migrants in Cuba had been a silent and suspicious one, created by the plain racism of the Cuban people who preferred to see themselves closer to European/Spanish ancestry than African. Communist Cuba did not attract too many Haitian immigrants, yet the integration of those who remained in Cuba through the years has been almost total, with Cuba offering today a class of some 200 students every year completing their medical degrees for the benefit of Haiti.

The third wave of migrants to the Dominican Republic
I have painted the story of the Haitian migration to the Dominican Republic in several previous essays, Suffice it to say, it has been complicated, since the Dominican government in 2013, strengthened by its highest court of law, decided to strip some 210,000 Haitians born in, or who have lived for decades in, the Dominican Republic of their Dominican citizenship. The jus soli in application in the land for centuries has been revoked, especially for the Haitians.
The anti-Haitian sentiment in the Dominican Republic has its origin in the darkest times. Jean Pierre Boyer, the third president of Haiti who ruled over the entire island of Hispaniola around 1820, mistreated Haiti and the Dominican Republic so badly that the scars have not healed since. In addition, while the Dominican Republic looked towards Europe, in particular Spain, Haiti is geared towards Africa and its cultural values for its way of life.
Playing the devil's advocate, I have said in several essays on the Dominican Republic that Haiti, forced to absorb one million Dominican citizens on its territory, would have been a much worse, inhospitable host. In fact, it is the inhospitable status of Haiti that causes so many of its own citizens, in particular in the rural areas, to migrate to the Dominican Republic as cane cutters, laborers and construction workers.
The earthquake of 2010 opened the eyes of the Dominican Republic to Haiti as a possible consumer market for its products. It is providing all the essential goods, from construction material to all types of foodstuffs, including the ubiquitous plantain and wood charcoal. Will the Dominican Republic accept the fact that it is in its interest to help Haiti build its own nation? Will Haiti eat its pride and accept to heal its wounds and transform its own nation into one that will become hospitable to its citizens? The answer is still in the air.

The fourth wave of migrants to the United States and the rest of the Caribbean
Around 1957, a cataclysm of almost biblical proportions happened in Haiti. Francois Duvalier, elected with the slogan of 'change for the better', plunged the country for the next three decades into a frenzy so malefic for the nation, that around two or three million Haitians may have left the country, for Africa first, and later the United States, France and Canada.
It was the era of nation building in Africa; the United Nations recruited the best of the best of the Haitian professionals to help the new regimes in Africa freshly out of colonialism to achieve statehood. Haitian teachers, lawyers, doctors were helping the Congo and other nations in West Africa to develop sane institutions and adequate infrastructure. Was it too good to be true or a flaw in the recruitment process that this transfer of skills and knowledge did not last long?
Haiti was still under a ferocious dictator and, instead of coming back home, around 1970 those migrants went to New York and to Quebec where they have contributed to their revitalization. The dictatorial regimes and the many natural cataclysms falling upon the country occasioned the rural exodus in rickety boats towards Florida around 1980. It is has been continuous and unabated, in spite of the U.S. maritime enforcement forcing some migrants to look towards The Bahamas and the other islands of the Caribbean for solace and sun while Haiti is sinking into hell under successive regimes of faux democracy. It has recently been reconstituted into the exodus by air via Brazil or Chile towards California.

Back to Chile
The Chilean government, under pressure from Chilean civil society and the legislature, has started the process of putting the brakes on the free-for-all for Haitian migrants to enter into the country. Yet the booming Chilean economy needs fresh oil to keep the engine running in perfect condition. The aging Chilean population should also search for new blood to continue the process of nation building. This scenario is well understood by President Michelle Bachelet, but not yet by the larger population.
While the Haitian government and Haitian society has not understood very well the concept of harnessing the capacity of its youthful population to create wealth, it falls on any smart nation to profit from this resource, to the advantage of the host country.

In conclusion
As Jean the Baptist, I shall continue to preach in the desert that salvation will come for Haiti and for its departing migrants when the Haitian government will accept to apply the five principles of nation building, to wit: The sentiment of appurtenance for and amongst all; the building of sane institutions and excellent infrastructure so its population will cease to be nomads at home and abroad; the affirmative action for those who have been left behind; the search for and the application of the nation's divine mission; and last but not least, the teaching to the youth the principle that the building of the nation is a continuous creation.
Hopefully my book, "For the Country, for the Nation: A Society's Vision to Render Haiti Rich, Powerful and Independent", edited by the State University of Haiti, will propel a critical mass of citizens to turn the tables and force the government to enshrine these five principles in its proposed new constitution and its national budget. The migrant saga will then become a nightmare of the past and Haiti will be busy changing the world for the better, as its emancipator mission was dictated by the divine Creator and accepted by its ancestors!

o Jean H Charles LLB, MSW, JD, is a regular contributor to the opinion section of Caribbean News Now. He can be reached at jeanhcharles@aol.com. Published with the permission of Caribbean News Now.

This article should be enjoyable to read and yet still be serious at the same time. It is about kissing. Over the years I've written several articles on the importance of kissing in romantic relationships. On July 21 Annick and I will have been kissing as married partners for 40 years. I still love to kiss her. Those tender lips are as soft now as they were the first time I kissed her. My first kiss was in 1975 on a cool Saturday night under a sugar apple tree near Lover's Leap in Mandeville, Jamaica. We were both students in college at the time.
Although it is imperative that romantic couples kiss, I want to remind those who are not seriously connected to someone, that kissing is a serious act of love and should not be taken lightly. This sacred act is being treated too lightly, and too many are getting messed up socially and sexually through the doorway of kissing. We are too free with kissing. We have become a cheap society of kissing fanatics.
I believe romantic kissing should be treated as something very sacred, special and exclusive. In spite of how good it feels, kissing does not reach its highest potential of volcanic ecstasy unless the brain cells have kissed first. Too many young people are engaging the body first before they engage their heads. This is the kind of behavior that can lead to acquaintance rape or date rape. More than 15 years ago, I wrote my first article on kissing. It was published in a university's student newspaper in Michigan. The response was overwhelming. Since it was a Christian campus, many teenagers and young adults appreciated my candid and frank discussion on the subject. One young lady thanked me for helping her to develop a healthy relationship with her boyfriend. We both shared the view that kissing is sacred and were encouraged to remain faithful to our standard.
More and more young people want to do the right thing. They want to preserve the most intimate expressions of love for a post-wedding experience. But too many of them stand before the fires of passion hoping not to get burned. They spend long hours kissing, rubbing up and turning up the heat. They do not want to have sex and get pregnant, but they tearfully express that it happened accidentally. That's not an accident. That's a deliberate, intentional set-up, when kissing-crazed individuals are allowing themselves to be held hostage by hormonal flow.
I am sure you are wondering whether or not I am saying couples should kiss before marriage. I believe Christian couples who are courting and preparing for marriage can, and should, kiss romantically before marriage. However, they should kiss in small dosages and limit the time and the frequency. The longer the kiss and greater the frequency, the higher the temperature rises on the passion thermostat. It is important that one does not kiss on the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth date. That's dangerous to the heart. It causes the emotional arteries to become clogged, blocking the reasoning and enhancing sexual seduction. Even non-Christians can mess up their choice of a permanent romantic or marriage partner by kissing too soon and too long before marriage.
Here are steps towards romantic kissing that I suggest should take at least three months to one year to cover. I have been sharing these steps for 30 years and still feel they are relevant today -- talk, play and talk, hold hands and talk, bond minds, link shoulders, hold heads, kiss in short, small dosages.
Steps one through four are the most important time of any relationship. This is the friendship period. You need time to become friends and to play and talk together. Remember, time is your best friend. This friendship period is not time for kissing because it will stifle growth in the relationship. The next steps are the romantic phase. It is during this time when those sacred words, I love you, will be solemnly expressed. It is a time when you like being around each other and look forward to seeing each other on a regular basis. You have blended your thoughts and ideas, and have definite plans for the relationship. The last step is the kissing stage. The relationship has matured enough to share yourself in this fashion. But you need to restrain yourself, realizing your own limitations and weaknesses. Romantic kissing before marriage is risky business if prescribed in large doses. It is one sure way of opening the floodgates of passion that can lead you to the painful point of no return. Restraint and control are the key words.

o Barrington H. Brennen is a marriage and family therapist and board certified clinical psychotherapist. Send your questions or comments to barringtonbrennen@gmail.com or write to P.O. Box CB-13019, Nassau, The Bahamas, or visit www.soencouragement.org or call 242-327-1980 or 242-477-4002.

Ankle sprains are one of the most frequent musculoskeletal injury seen by primary care physicians. It is estimated that each day more than 25,000 people in the United States require medical care for ankle sprains. The ankle joint is made up of three bones -- tibia, fibula and talus, held together by many ligaments that provide stability by limiting side-to-side movement.
Ankle sprains are common sports injuries but they can also happen during everyday activities. An ankle sprain is an injury to one or more ligaments in the ankle. The most common sites of injury are in the outer, or "lateral" -- ankle ligaments. More than 80 percent of ankle sprains are a result of inversion, or inward rolling of the ankle, usually on the outer side of the ankle. The severity of an ankle sprain depends on whether the ligament is just stretched, partially torn, or completely torn, and on the number of ligaments involved in the injury. Ankle sprains are not the same as strains, which affect muscles rather than ligaments and an ankle fracture means broken bones.

Causes
Ankle sprains are usually caused by an unnatural twisting motion in the ankle most commonly when the foot is pointing downward and is forced inward, awkwardly. Persons would describe this as "rolling their ankle." This stretches the ligaments on the outer side of the ankle. Sprained ankles often occur during sporting activities and can result from a fall, a sudden twist, stepping on uneven surfaces or in a hole and even wearing the wrong shoes.

Symptoms
When the ankle is sprained, the soft tissues around the ankle are injured and inflamed. The symptoms may include pain or soreness, swelling, bruising or redness, difficulty walking and stiffness in the joint. The symptoms vary depending on the severity of the sprain.
There are four key reasons why an ankle sprain should be promptly evaluated and treated by a podiatrist.
o An untreated ankle sprain may lead to chronic ankle weakness/instability and more injury.
o Sometimes it may be difficult for you to tell the difference between a sprain and an ankle fracture.
o An ankle sprain may be accompanied by other foot injury that must be treated as well.
o Rehabilitation of a sprained ankle needs to begin right away. If rehabilitation is delayed, the injury may be less likely to heal properly.

Diagnosis
When evaluating your injury, the podiatrist will get a history of the injury and the symptoms you are experiencing. X-rays or other imaging studies such as a CT scan may be ordered to help determine the severity of the injury. A complete physical exam will be done, touching and moving the parts of the foot and ankle to determine which parts have been injured.
The initial care for a sprained ankle at home is important to help reduce pain and speed up healing. Persons will often report that immediately after a suspected ankle sprain they would soak their foot in hot water. This is NOT recommended. In fact, it increases swelling and can make the ankle worse. Remember RICE --rest, ice, compression and elevation. All of these are done to reduce and prevent swelling and can be started at home even before you see the podiatrist.
Rest: For the first 24 to 48 hours after the injury your activities need to be seriously decreased or stopped all together.
Ice: For the first 48 hours after the injury, place an ice pack or frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel on the sprained ankle for 20 minutes at a time every three to four hours.
Compression: Wrap the ankle in an ace bandage from the toes to above the ankle. The wrap should be snug but not too tight so that it's uncomfortable.
Elevate: Keep your ankle elevated as high as possible by sitting in a recliner, or putting books or pillows under the ankle.
After twisting your ankle, if you have pain, swelling and difficulty walking or standing, it is time to see the podiatrist. Treatment by the podiatrist will continue the RICE treatment. The podiatrist may also apply an ankle brace or cast boot to reduce motion in the ankle joint. Crutches are also used to prevent walking or bearing weight on the ankle. The most common medications used to treat ankle sprains are anti-inflammatory that reduce both pain and help control the inflammation.
When you have an ankle sprain, rehabilitation is crucial--and it starts the moment your treatment begins. Early therapy helps to promote healing and increase your range of motion. This may include doing prescribed exercises or even seeing a physical therapist who will help with flexibility and strengthening exercises in the ankle. A follow-up visit is usually scheduled one to two weeks after the initial treatment to monitor the healing progress.
Most ankle sprains heal without complications or difficulty, leaving the person able to walk and play their sport without pain or swelling. The healing time depends upon the severity of the ankle sprain and if there was any other injury.

If persons do not get treatment and rehabilitation after an ankle sprain, chronic ankle pain and instability results. This makes the ankle weak, it "gives way" at times and increases the risk of more injuries in the future. Very seldom surgery may be needed to repair torn ligaments around the ankle.
Ankle sprains can be prevented by wearing proper shoes for the activity you are involved in, or the sports you play. Always wear stable shoes that give your ankle support like high-top basketball shoes. Very high heels or platform shoes are not the best choice if you want to prevent an ankle sprain. For athletes, balance training may help keep the ankles strong and flexible. They may also consider having a weak ankle taped or wearing an ankle brace for extra support during the game.

o For more information email foothealth242@gmail.com or visit www.apma.org. To see a podiatrist visit Bahamas Foot Centre on Rosetta Street, telephone 325-2996, or Bahamas Surgical Associates Centre, Albury Lane, telephone 394-5820, or Lucayan Medical Centre on East Sunrise Highway, Freeport, Grand Bahama, telephone 373-7400.