Cooperation between Iran and Russia has expanded to unprecedented levels. Following the Russian offensive in Ukraine, their partnership has undergone a significant transformation, altering power dynamics and elevating Iran from a junior partner to an equal counterpart. Russia's dependence on Iran in unexpected areas has caught observers by surprise. In her book, Ghoncheh Tazmini presents a fresh analysis of the complex relationship between Russia and Iran. She argues for a Russia-Iran 'alignment' based on their shared narratives of the international order. The two states are bound by connective tissue that is coded by ontological security preoccupations and mutual threat perceptions. Despite historical animosities and ongoing suspicions, the relationship has demonstrated resilience, fluctuating between conflict and convergence. The Iran-Russia relationship holds decisive implications for the Middle East's future, where their interests both overlap and diverge, notably in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and with the GCC. Tazmini delves into Russian and Iranian geopolitical aspirations in the Middle Eastern theatre and addresses how evolving international realities impact their regional policies. Through a blend of sophisticated theoretical analysis and empirical insights, Tazmini explains why Moscow-Tehran relations are more durable than many in the Western world and the Middle East may perceive. Russia and Iran's close alignment is expected to persist – undeterred by criticism and sanctions, the 'Power Couple' remains determined to establish a foothold in the international system through their collaborative efforts.

"When their college-aged daughter is abducted on a European family vacation, Brian and Rebecca Unsworth--both U.S. intelligence staffers--race to find the kidnappers and keep their fragile marriage intact"--

The next generation of The Rockin' Country Series is here! Enjoy the first book in this sexy friends to lovers, rocker series by USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Laramie Briscoe. Everett James Thompson I've been in the spotlight since I was born, thanks to my famous parents. Reaper and Harmony have been the gold standard when it comes to celebrity love stories. It's hard to be in that shadow, to live up to that precedent. Which is why I stopped trying when my band, Grey Skies hit the big time. But when I go to Vegas to support my Mom, in her new residency, I have absolutely no idea I'll leave Vegas with a new pop-star wife. Brianna Jenkins As one of the top pop-stars in the world right now, I don't have time for anything. Much less love, or even a night out. When my best friend surprises me with tickets to the sold-out Harmony Stewart show in Vegas on my one off weekend of the month, I'm beyond excited. Especially when we find out our seats are next to her family . Harboring a crush on her oldest son added with a few more drinks than I normally have equals consequences neither one of us bargained for. The next morning, I wake up no longer Brianna Jenkins, pop star. I'm Brianna Thompson, member of the new power couple, about to take the world by storm. Whether we want to, or not. EJ & Bri's love story is perfect for readers who love opposites attract, rockers, alpha heroes, smart sassy heroines, friends to lovers, happily ever after, slow burn, emotional romance with plenty of swoon. Search Terms: contemporary romance books, romance series, new adult romance, rocker romance, contemporary romance, beach reads, romance novels, romance books, alpha male, age gap, southern romance, opposites attract romance, alpha male, emotional reads, sexy, friends to lovers For fans of: Kristen Ashley, Terri Anne Browning, Kylie Scott, Kristen Proby, Heidi McLaughlin, Olivia Cunning

Everyone can name a couple made up of famous, rich, or powerful partners, who cultivate a joint media image which is stronger than either of their individual identities. Since the 1980s they have been known as "power couples". Yet while the term is recent, the concept is not. More than 2,000 years ago, Greeks and Romans became aware of the media potential of couples and used it as an instrument to reinforce political power. Notable examples are Philip II of Macedonia and Olympias, Cleopatra and Mark Antony, or the Emperor Augustus and his wife Livia. Power Couples in Antiquity brings together the reflections of ten specialists on Greek and Roman power couples from the fourth century BCE to the first century CE. It is focused on the birth and the development of the "ruling couple" in the Hellenistic Greek kingdoms and in Rome between the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire. By taking some emblematic cases, this book analyses the redistribution of public and private roles within these couples, examines the sentimental bonds or the relations of domination established between partners, explores how these relationships played out in private, and highlights the many common points between ancient and contemporary power couples. This book offers a fascinating insight into power dynamics in the ancient world, exploring not only the subtleties within these often complex relationships, but also their relationships with their subjects through the cultivation and manipulation of their joint public image.

Facilitating change in couple therapy by understanding how the brain works to maintain—and break—old habits. Human brains and behavior are shaped by genetic predispositions and early experience. But we are not doomed by our genes or our past. Neuroscientific discoveries of the last decade have provided an optimistic and revolutionary view of adult brain function: People can change. This revelation about neuroplasticity offers hope to therapists and to couples seeking to improve their relationship. Loving With the Brain in Mind explores ways to help couples become proactive in revitalizing their relationship. It offers an in-depth understanding of the heartbreaking dynamics in unhappy couples and the healthy dynamics of couples who are flourishing. Sharing her extensive clinical experience and an integrative perspective informed by neuroscience and relationship science, Mona Fishbane gives us insight into the neurobiology underlying couples’ dances of reactivity. Readers will learn how partners become reactive and emotionally dysregulated with each other, and what is going on in their brains when they do. Clear and compelling discussions are included of the neurobiology of empathy and how empathy and selfregulation can be learned. Understanding neurobiology, explains Fishbane, can transform your clinical practice with couples and help you hone effective therapeutic interventions. This book aims to empower therapists— and the couples they treat—as they work to change interpersonal dynamics that drive them apart. Understanding how the brain works can inform the therapist’s theory of relationships, development, and change. And therapists can offer clients “neuroeducation” about their own reactivity and relationship distress and their potential for personal and relational growth. A gifted clinician and a particularly talented neuroscience writer, Dr. Fishbane presents complex material in an understandable and engaging manner. By anchoring her work in clinical cases, she never loses sight of the people behind the science.

Jennifer Grant is the only child of Cary Grant, who was, and continues to be, the epitome of all that is elegant, sophisticated, and deft. Almost half a century after Cary Grant’s retirement from the screen, he remains the quintessential romantic comic movie star. He stopped making movies when his daughter was born so that he could be with her and raise her, which is just what he did. Good Stuff is an enchanting portrait of the profound and loving relationship between a daughter and her father, who just happens to be one of America’s most iconic male movie stars. Cary Grant’s own personal childhood archives were burned in World War I, and he took painstaking care to ensure that his daughter would have an accurate record of her early life. In Good Stuff, Jennifer Grant writes of their life together through her high school and college years until Grant’s death at the age of eighty-two. Cary Grant had a happy way of living, and he gave that to his daughter. He invented the phrase “good stuff” to mean happiness. For the last twenty years of his life, his daughter experienced the full vital passion of her father’s heart, and she now—delightfully—gives us a taste of it. She writes of the lessons he taught her; of the love he showed her; of his childhood as well as her own . . . Here are letters, notes, and funny cards written from father to daughter and those written from her to him . . . as well as bits of conversation between them (Cary Grant kept a tape recorder going for most of their time together). She writes of their life at 9966 Beverly Grove Drive, living in a farmhouse in the midst of Beverly Hills, playing, laughing, dining, and dancing through the thick and thin of Jennifer's growing up; the years of his work, his travels, his friendships with “old Hollywood royalty” (the Sinatras, the Pecks, the Poitiers, et al.) and with just plain-old royalty (the Rainiers) . . . We see Grant the playful dad; Grant the clown, sharing his gifts of laughter through his warm spirit; Grant teaching his daughter about life, about love, about boys, about manners and money, about acting and living. Cary Grant was given the indefinable incandescence of charm. He was a pip . . . Good Stuff captures his special quality. It gives us the magic of a father’s devotion (and goofball-ness) as it reveals a daughter’s special odyssey and education of loving, and being loved, by a dad who was Cary Grant.

This book presents papers from the International Conference on Power Transmissions 2016, held in Chongqing, China, 27th-30th October 2016. The main objective of this conference is to provide a forum for the most recent advances, addressing the challenges in modern mechanical transmissions. The conference proceedings address all aspects of gear and power transmission technology and a range of applications. The presented papers are catalogued into three main tracks, including design, simulation and testing, materials and manufacturing, and industrial applications. The design, simulation and testing track covers topics such as new methods and designs for all types of transmissions, modelling and simulation of power transmissions, strength, fatigue, dynamics and reliability of power transmissions, lubrication and sealing technologies and theories, and fault diagnosis of power transmissions. In the materials and manufacturing track, topics include new materials and heat treatment of power transmissions, new manufacturing technologies of power transmissions, improved tools to predict future demands on production systems, new technologies for ecologically sustainable productions and those which preserve natural resources, and measuring technologies of power transmissions. The proceedings also cover the novel industrial applications of power transmissions in marine, aerospace and railway contexts, wind turbines, the automotive industry, construction machinery, and robots.

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIFE (FOR GRADE 10, THE AGE OF AWAKENING) The book series is all about education in human sexuality, based on the nourishment and cultivation of the natural gift of a person’s character. The series is based on the premise that SEXUALITY EDUCATION is, basically, CHARACTER EDUCATION, which in turn is founded on human dignity and encompasses formation in moral standards and human conduct; hence, covering the key elements of “life and love, and everything in between”. Comprising an introductory volume for parents and teachers; a volume for classroom use of teachers; a volume for parents; and eight volumes for Grades 5 to 12, respectively, this current volume is specifically addressed to Grade 6 pupils, about 16 to 17 year olds in their late adolescence. It talks about MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIFE: the crucial need to know oneself little by little but well; what marriage is and is not; what responsible parenthood truly is; and the source of genuine fulfillment in family life. Marriage and family life are the end goal of the education of most people, except for those who decide to remain single for higher ends. Until the day of the wedding, the script of life has as its “happy ending”, the shaping of a home exuding with “love, life, and everything in between”. The book series is characterized by sound, perennial concepts and by teaching and learning tools geared towards the age group being addressed.

Broken Pieces is a book written about sporadic life experiences that many of us have experienced or maybe not but it presents another way of thinking about certain situations that we experienced or not during our life journey. I am almost sure that when you read these different experiences you will relate to them if you have not already experienced them and if you have you can see if you handled them the same way the writer did. Make sure you take advantage of the journal in the back of the book . One thing I want you to think about is when these sporadic events happen in your life either they change you or help you understand that the majority of life’s crisis and developments are how you respond to them because your life responds to you.

White feminists performing to maintain privilege Mean girl feminism encourages girls and women to be sassy, sarcastic, and ironic as feminist performance. Yet it coopts its affect, form, and content from racial oppression and protest while aiming meanness toward people in marginalized groups. Kim Hong Nguyen’s feminist media study examines four types of white mean girl feminism prominent in North American popular culture: the bitch, the mean girl, the power couple, and the global mother. White feminists mime the anger, disempowerment, and resistance felt by people of color and other marginalized groups. Their performance allows them to pursue and claim a special place within established power structures, present as intellectually superior, substitute nonpolitical playacting for a politics of solidarity and community, and position themselves as better, more enlightened masters than patriarchy. But, as Nguyen shows, the racialized meanness found across pop culture opens possibilities for building an intersectional feminist politics that rejects performative civility in favor of turning anger into liberation.