With its Ottoman Empire history and vibrant modern culture, thereâ??s no denying Istanbulâ??s charm. At the center of it all, the cityâ??s lifeblood is the body of water that divides Europe and Asiaâ??the Bosphorus Strait, which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. The waterwayâ??s strategic importance enticed Constantine the Great to found the city as the capital of the Eastern Roman empire, but today, itâ??s the focus of some of Istanbulâ??s most sought-after views. At the end of a day in Turkeyâ??s busiest city, settle in and ponder this famous strait from these five spots with canâ??t-miss views.

1. Mikla restaurant

Sitting atop the Marmera Pera hotel in the historic Pera district of Istanbul, this innovative restaurant combines Scandinavian and Turkish cuisines. Chef Mehmet Gürs takes serious careâ??heâ??s enlisted the help of an anthropologist to find unique foods around Turkeyâ??to use local ingredients in his dishes, such as the lamb shoulder with prune pestil (dried fruit leather) and pomegranate molasses. Chrome furniture from the 50s and 70s gives the dining room a retro, sleek feeling, but the real showstopper is the view from the outdoor patio and terrace bar. The terrace gives you a panorama of the skylineâ??s best sightsâ??the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and the Bosphorus.

2. Aâ??jia hotel

With a striking white columned façade, this 16-room boutique hotel is a restored 1800s-era Ottoman mansion, but inside, the amenitiesâ??such as the Acqua Di Parma bath products and Philippe Starck bathtubsâ??give the space a modern, minimalist vibe. Situated on the banks of the Asian shoreline on the outskirts of the city (about 40 minutes from downtown in the suburb of Kanlica, accessible by shuttle boat) this yali (a word for the wooden residences along the Bosphorus) houses an elegant restaurant with an outdoor terrace serving up Mediterranean and Italian cuisineâ??such as lamb shank confitâ??with the sparkling strait as a backdrop.

3. Vogue restaurant

Located on top of the BeÅ?iktaÅ? Plaza office building, Vogue has been a fixture in Istanbul the past 15 years. Its international menu draws inspiration from the Mediterranean while the sushi bar is a nod to the Asian shores across the strait. Choose from dishes such as miso-braised black cod, roasted duck and vanilla panna cotta. The restaurantâ??s floor-to-ceiling windows look out onto views of the Bosphorus and the LED-lit Bosphorus Bridge outside. Reserve a table outside on the terraceâ??which seats 80â??during the summer months for a slight breeze off the water.

4. Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus

Occupying a restored 19^th-century palace in the trendy BeÅ?iktaÅ? area, the hotel blends Ottoman style with contemporary amenities. Rooms located on the first and second floors of the palace building give you a straight-on view of the water, the Asian coastline on the other side of the strait, the Maidenâ??s Tower and the domes and minarets of Old Town. And the view only gets better as you walk outside. The hotelâ??s patio boasts a pool and whirlpool (not to mention direct boat access if you like to arrive in style). At Aquaâ??the hotelâ??s signature restaurant with name-appropriate design touches such as blue glassware and light fixturesâ??inside tables have views of the Bosphorus and the outdoor terrace lets you dine at the waterâ??s edge.

5. Anjelique

Part restaurant, part nightclub, Anjelique sits on the Bosphorus waterfront in a three-story mansion. Located in Istanbulâ??s Ortaköy areaâ??known for its nightlifeâ??the glossy restaurant serves Asian cuisine on the first floor and Mediterranean fare on the upper two levels. Aside from entrÃes such as porcini mushroom and truffle risotto, you can nosh on bar food like crispy duck wraps and vegetable quesadillas. The airy space on the sea level opens up onto an outdoor deck and dance floor with a long fire pit, and inside, massive windows give you ample opportunities to check out the lights of the cityâ??s skyline and the water below. An ever-changing rotation of DJs spin tunesâ??a different style on each floorâ??into the early hours of the morning.

Self-Objectification in Women Impairs Cognitive Functioning

March 19th, 2012

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Modern society conveys the idea that women should strive to be thin. Media have spent decades instilling this belief into popular culture, and many women try desperately to reach this unrealistic ideal. Relating a woman’s worth to her physical appearance and sexual appeal is known as objectification and is the catalyst for discrimination, sexual harassment, workplace inequality, and physical and sexual violence. Women who engage in self-objectification struggle with many negative psychological conditions resulting from vain attempts to achieve this ideal, including excessive exercise and extreme dieting, depression, anxiety, self-esteem issues, shame, and even diminished cognitive ability. When women hyperfocus on stimuli that relates to their physical appearance, they have fewer available resources to simultaneously respond to other stimuli.

Previous research has shown that this type of orienting response (OR) that occurs during self-objectification in women results in a decreased heart rate (HR). In contrast, stress caused by anxiety from one’s physical appearance results in an increased HR. Because objectification of women is an increasing problem among females in our modern culture, Dr. Melinda Green of the Department of Psychology at Cornell wanted to find out if this behavior did indeed decrease a woman’s cognitive abilities by way of OR. Green enlisted 31 females, ranging in age from 17 to 21, for her self-objectification study. The participants were divided into two groups and were placed into fitting rooms. Half of the women were instructed to dress in a bathing suit over a track suit (objectification group) while the other half were instructed to only wear the track suit (nonobjectification group). Green and her colleagues monitored the women’s heart rate immediately after they dressed and continued to assess them for several minutes.

When she compared their HR to their resting HR 1 week prior, Green found that the HRs of the objectification group were significantly lower than the HR of the nonobjectification group. She also discovered that this decreased HR was maintained when measured again 5 minutes later. Green also noticed that even though the women in the objectification group did feel stress and anxiety from wearing a swimsuit, their HRs were not higher than those of the nonobjectification group. Green believes these findings clearly demonstrate that women who self-objectify have an OR which can result in diminished cognitive capacity. Clinically, Green feels that this study emphasizes the importance of educating girls and women about the negative physical and psychological consequences of objectification. She added, “Teaching girls and women to prioritize internal qualities, to be skeptical of sociocultural forces that provide appearance-related rewards, and to resist the temptation to narrowly define one’s worth by a restricted appearance ideal are all necessary steps to promote wellness both in and outside of the fitting room.”

Reference:
Green, M. A., Read, K. E., Davids, C. M. (2012). The psychophysiological consequences of state self-objectification and predictors of clothing-related distress. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 31.2, 194-219.

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copy; Copyright 2012 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Berkeley Bureau – All Rights Reserved.

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Source: Atlas Ergonomics, LLC Grand Haven, MI, March 18, 2012 –(PR.com)– More than ever, modern culture and technology encourage weight gain, lawsuits and geographically dispersed workforces. Each trend presents a distinct, growing challenge to employee health and safety–and employers…

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