Old, but not forgotten

If you think VHS tape are obsolete, think again. Silvia Razgova / The National

The case of a man who was arrested over a VHS tape he failed to return offers us a lesson

The VHS tape may seem like a distant memory in the age of Netflix, Amazon and other streaming services. But it isn’t dead yet. James Meyers of North Carolina learnt this lesson the hard way when police who pulled him over for having a broken taillight put him in handcuffs for failing to return a VHS copy of a 2001 box-office flop starring Tom Green that he rented more than 14 years ago.

Green has offered to pay the $200 (Dh735) fine to settle the case. But a big question remains for people in a similar situation: how do you return a rented VHS tape you’ve suddenly discovered on a dusty shelf when all the video stores have gone bust?

Also, should we now feel guilty about that pen we appropriated from the bank, or the hotel slippers and toiletries that somehow made into our luggage?

You shouldn’t expect a knock on the door, but perhaps this is a reminder not to take small things for granted.