A middle-aged rock group in Britain was able to score their first musical hit in 15 years by performing an artificial facelift on themselves. The group known as The Alarm, gave themselves the pseudonym The Poppyfields and hired a group of teenagers to take their roles in a new music video. While the original group provided the music, the stand-ins gave the band a new look.

The band was previously best known for a hit in 1983, but had not had much success recently. They decided to replace themselves with a younger looking group to show how much image influenced sales in the music industry. A spokesman for the band says,

"They did it to show they wanted to be judged on music and not on their image and haircuts of 15 years ago." As a result of the replacement stunt, the single debuted on the UK music charts at number 28.

—Reuters, February 20, 2004, Aging Rockers Pose as teenagers to Hit Charts, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

1 Samuel 16:7 NIV "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at, man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'"

If you visit Cubbie’s restaurant in North Carolina, you can get fries with your burger, but don’t ask for French Fries. The sign in the window says “Because of Cubbie’s support for our troops, we no longer serve French fries. We now serve freedom fries.”

The owner of the restaurant, Neal Rowland says his intent is not to slight the French people, but rather to take a patriotic stance to show his support for the United States and the actions of the President. Rowland’s decision to change the name of fries reflects a political sentiment that comes as the nation of France backs away from support for military action in Iraq.

Rowland got the idea after a conversation about War World I. Anti-German sentiment prompted Americans to change the names of familiar foods like sauerkraut and frankfurter to liberty cabbage and hot dog.

Waitress Amy Foster says, “Everyone wants to have their freedom fries. They’re going right along with it.” Rowland notes a lot of his business comes from local military troops based Cherry Point Naval Base.

—www.charlotte.com, French Fries are out, freedom fries are in, February 17, 2003, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

1 Corinthians 9:22 “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.”

New research suggests wall-to-wall mirrors in gyms and dance studios may a prevent women from getting the exercise they need. The study published in the health journal Psychology, focused on young women who exercised for short periods of time. It found that women who worked out in front of a mirror get discouraged and are more tired after only twenty minutes of activity.

The study questioned 58 women with an average age of 22. Participants took turns working out on stationary bicycles, either in front of a mirror or with the mirror covered by a curtain. The study found that the women who did not watch themselves exercise felt calmer, more positive, and more revitalized at the conclusion of the session. The results did not depend on whether the participant felt comfortable about her body or not.

Author of the study, Kathleen Martin Ginis said, “The mirrors make women more self aware, they tend to think of their shortcomings.” Martin Ginis admits mirrors do serve a positive role, noting that some exercisers need to see their form, and to assess their technique during strength training. She suggests that gyms provide areas without mirrors to encourage novice exercisers. She adds, “Women don’t need to exercise in a gym. Thirty minutes of walking or hiking is good too. There are lots of ways to get your exercise.”

—Reuters, August 4, 2003, Mirrors Tarnish Women’s Image?, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

1 Corinthians 13:12 NIV “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”

If you ask a typical man, "How's it going?" he will talk about work, but if you ask a typical woman the same question, she will talk about her family. Why is that?

In his book, Re-Igniting Love & Passion: 24 Marital Checkpoints, Guy Greenfield, the director of the Family Growth Center in Hereford, Texas, wrote, "…in American culture the self-image of a man is more related to his work position, while a woman's self-image is more often based on relationships."

Too bad. Men and women alike would benefit greatly if their self-image was based upon their position in Christ, instead of their value as workers or nurturers.

Genesis 1:27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

For more information on Re-Igniting Love & Passion, go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0801052327/fm082-20

The growing popularity of the cell phone self-portrait known as a “selfie,” could be generating business for plastic surgeons. The Oxford dictionary recognized the word in 2013, and a survey of plastic surgeons across the country has found an upsurge in the number of people seeking treatments like Botox, fillers, and peels. Dr. Richard Korentager from Kansas University’s Plastic Surgery Center says the social media trends only reflect the culture overall because many people are trying to find a way to bring the way they look and the way they feel into harmony. He says his main concern is the patient’s expectations and he has rejected some patients with unrealistic expectations. He says, “If you can do something that will help the health of your skin, will remove some dark spots, will help you look a bit more refreshed, I think that’s a good thing. There’s no question that, whether we like it or not, we do live in a youth culture.” He added, ”You can’t change someone’s life by taking a little bit of excess skin from their upper eyelids.” –Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Selfie craze may cause more people to visit plastic surgeon, By Betsy Webster, http://www.kctv5.com/story/25396847/selfie-craze-may-cause-more-people-to-visit-a-plastic-surgeon?hpt=us_bn9, Accessed April 30, 2014.

Proverbs 31:30 (HCSB) Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD will be praised.

In Argentina, a court has described a 29-year-old Sumatran orangutan as a ‘Non-human person’ with rights of liberty. The court said the Buenos Aires Zoo was ‘depriving the ape of its liberty.’ A lawyer speaking after the decision said the ruling sets a precedent ‘for other sentient beings which are unfairly and arbitrarily deprived of their liberty in zoos, circuses, water parks and scientific laboratories.’

While we want to treat animals with kindness and respect, we do well to remember that they are not created in the image of God. --Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female.”

Bellevue College in Washington State offers applicants seven different options for their gender: “feminine, masculine, androgynous, transgender, gender neutral, other, and prefer not to say.”

The Bible lists two genders: male and female. As our culture drifts further and further from the God of creation, we can find more and more ways to rebel. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Genesis 1:27 (NASB) God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Scientists are beginning to debate the necessity of giving robots rights. Denying the existence of a God in whose image man is made requires scientists to admit that consciousness is a result of completely material processes. Therefore, just as humans have rights because they are conscious beings, so robots will need rights. “There is no way to prove that one entity is conscious and another is not,” says Ray Kurzweil, an inventor and computer scientist.

The extent that unbelievers will go to deny the existence of the soul is beyond our imagination. We have rights because they are God given. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Genesis 1:27 (HCSB) So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female.

A European Parliament committee has approved a resolution granting legal status to advance robots as “electronic persons,” with specific rights and obligations. The purpose of the resolution is aimed at protecting humans by keeping robots from achieving too much power as the science of artificial intelligence advances.

The rights of human beings are given to us by God, not government. As our declaration of independence clearly states, “that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

These rights are ours because we have been created in the image of God. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/science/682759/RIGHTS-FOR-ROBOTS-EU-reveals-plans-for-new-class-of-AI-electro-person

Genesis 1:27 (HCSB)“So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female.”