Videotapes

News today comes to us at lightening speed from every direction and the use of videotapes to relay what’s happening in our world moves it even faster.

We all remember the horrid videotape of 38-year-old Daniel Pearl released on Feb. 21, 2002 entitled “The Slaughter of the Spy-Journalist, the Jew Daniel Pearl.” This s-vhs videotape first showed Pearl stating his captor’s demands, along with pictures of dead Muslims superimposed around his image. The videotape also showed United States President George W. Bush with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and finally, Pearl’s mutilated body.

Terrorists in Pakistan used the video to relay their demands that prisoners be released from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and returned to their country, as well as a complete withdrawal of troops in Pakistan and the delivery of F-16 planes. Of course, these demands were never met and the FBI eventually caught three suspects. Subsequently Pearl’s wife, Mariane, wrote a memoir about her husband entitled A Mighty Heart, which tells the full story of Pearl and more about his life. This is now being adapted into a film starring Angelina Jolie and Dan Futterman.

Once again, the use of videotapes came into play upon the capture and eventual execution of Saddam Hussein. The former Iraqi leader was convicted for his reign of terror that included mass murders, executions, political imprisonment, beatings, electric shock, amputations, beheadings, rapes, chemical attacks and more.

The use of videotape to show the Saddam execution video proved to the world and especially the Iraqi people that they no longer had anything to fear from this terrible tyrant. U.S. intelligence officials studied the tape to determine its authenticity and it set the stage for the beginning of democracy in the war-torn country.

The use of s-vhs videotapes in everyday life is also vital for those who are deaf or hearing impaired. They are used to interpret information for such services as telephone communications and even major events. ASL Services Inc. provides professional sign language interpreting services, as well as support for VRS (Video Relay Services) in conjunction with Hands On Video Relay Services to create training courses and enhance its programs in all areas, including government departments, education and health services through asl interpreting video. Users need only have a standard 8mm video tape player.