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Just ask Max Factor heir and convicted rapist Andrew Luster – now serving 124 years in jail, thanks to bounty hunter Duane “Dog” Chapman, who nabbed the fugitive on our cobblestone streets just over a year ago – and the more than 6,000 other felons he has captured.
Some of you may remember that in the wee hours of June 18, Chapman, along with his son and brother, successfully collared Luster at a taco stand near the Buenaventura after nearly six months of hunting for him. But as they raced to the airport to get their prize back to the States – and collect a chunk of the million-dollar bail he had forfeited – the Puerto Vallarta police trumped them by arresting them all.
Seems madcap, until you realize that bounty hunting’s a crime in Mexico. So, the Chapmans were charged and held, only able to finally get out of this country because they posted bail and – are you ready for this? – promised to return for sentencing. Anyway, the incident created quite a local hoopla. And while I certainly felt relieved that a rapist was off our streets, the Wild West antics of a man calling himself a dog and coming across as a misunderstood rock star turned me off – while I must say it had the complete opposite effect on some women I know. To me, the turning of the tables by the Mexican police and the fact he didn’t receive a penny for his trophy was simple karmic justice.
End of story. Or so I thought until I learned a couple of days ago that this guy has his own TV show premiering on A&E August 31! Why? I wondered. So I did some Internet research, and it turns out that “Dog” not only looks larger than life – a cross between Fabio and Hulk Hogan – his persona is too, with a bit of Mr. Rogers thrown in to soften the picture. He has shared a seminar platform with NLP guru Anthony Robbins, for heaven’s sake, helping others to obtain desired outcomes. And according to the evidence, this dad of 12 is one of the best in the world at what he does.
So, I admit it. I’ll be tuning in to “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” as undoubtedly will some of those smitten women, hoping to see a reenactment of the melodrama played out here and get a better sense of what makes a guy like this tick. And I’ll keep my eyes out for “Vallarta Today” editor Wayne MacLeod, who was interviewed by a team of A&E reporters dispatched here at the height of the episode.
Well, when it comes to getting married here in paradise, once a year it’s the more the merrier, when City Hall arranges for as many unwed partners as possible to take a leap of faith at no cost to them – and make census results easier to tabulate. And this past July, 357 couples tied the knot in unison, harking back to the Moonie weddings popular in the ‘70s. But despite its immensity, the event was surprisingly touching, according to Vallarta photojournalist Josef Kandoll, who said it started off with videos and talks about various aspects of married life before the actual service began. And when it was over, couples ranging from teary 80-year-olds in spiffy wedding garb to shy young people in shorts and T-shirts walked onto the stage one by one to receive their wedding certificates, every one of them given personal recognition and even some traditional wedding cake.
And it’s that time of year when the crowds of national holidayers thin and the kids head back to school. Thankfully, we’ve got some really good ones here with teachers who truly care. According to a newspaper article I read recently, there actually are teachers in this country holding down two or even three teaching positions, showing up at each of them way too seldom. So the students suffer, and there’s not much anyone can do about it. Because according to the article, the teachers’ union is intransigent and this is how it has always been. What was even more surprising to learn was that when a teacher quits or retires, they can bestow their job on whomever they wish, qualified or not – the same way the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) operated for 70-plus years. Presidential successors were personally chosen by the departing head of the republic, who in turn was assured immunity for anything illegal he may have done while in office.
If you have any comments, questions or suggestions about what you’re reading, you’re encouraged to let me know at heather@mexmags.com.
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