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In this paper, nature‐based solutions (NBS) include: (1) natural flood management (NFM) interventions with a primary function of flood risk reduction but with additional multiple benefits for water quality improvements through the mitigation of diffuse pollution; and (2) ponds with a primary function of water quality improvement. This study assesses the ability of these NBS to trap pollutants in run‐off within two small (3.4 km2) agricultural catchments (Upper Thames, UK). The masses of sediment, phosphorus, and organic carbon trapped by 14 features (since construction 2–3 years previously) were quantified through sediment surveying and sampling. Streamflow and suspended sediment monitoring downstream of features enabled catchment yields to be calculated. The features trapped a total of 83 t sediment, 122 kg phosphorus, and 4.3 t organic carbon. Although the footprint of the features was <1% of the catchment area, they drained 44% of the total land area and captured the equivalent of 15% of the total suspended sediment yield, 10% of the total phosphorus yield, and 8% of the particulate organic carbon yield as monitored at the catchment outlet over the monitoring period. Results reveal that accumulation rates were influenced by hydrological connectivity, with greater accumulation in features constructed directly on streams (online ponds), and those offline features that filled from overbank flows. The low to moderate accumulation rates observed in offline features suggests that their floodwater storage potential is only likely to significantly reduce in the medium term, necessitating maintenance after ~10 years. Compared with topsoil in each contributing area, trapped sediment was enriched in phosphorus and carbon in the majority of features, having on average 50% higher phosphorus and 17% higher organic carbon concentrations than surrounding arable soils, highlighting its potential value for redistribution on farmland. Monitoring results demonstrate the potential of NBS, including NFM, to mitigate diffuse pollution in lowland catchments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Revealing Secrets: An Unofficial History of Australian Signals Intelligence and the Advent of Cyber" by John Blaxland and Clare Birgin is a book that explores the history of Australian signals intelligence and surveillance technology. The authors aim to shed light on the role of signals intelligence in Australian history, which has often been hidden due to its secretive nature. The book covers various topics, including the origins of cryptology, the development of radio signals, and the contributions of signals intelligence during World War I and II. However, the post-1945 chapters are based on publicly available material, indicating a lack of cooperation from the Australian Signals Directorate. The book also addresses themes such as technological advancements, Australia's relationship with the US and UK, and the growing demand for accountability in intelligence agencies. [Extracted from the article]

Adapting to climate change and its impacts on water resources is one of the major challenges facing the UK. In the first scheme of its kind in the Thames basin, this paper describes how natural flood management (NFM) is being piloted in the Littlestock Brook tributary of the Evenlode catchment. This 5-year scheme (2016–2021) explores the delivery mechanisms and assesses the effectiveness of NFM measures to reduce flood risk in Milton-under-Wychwood, improve water quality and create habitat. It has secured £640 000 from Environment Agency programmes, the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, other partners and landowners. In 2018, ten field corner bunds were created with a combined storage capacity of 26 000 m3. Woody dams in the brook divert high flows into these flood storage areas. Critical to success is integrated delivery through the Evenlode Catchment Partnership and engagement of the local community. Catchment partnerships deliver a range of environmental, social and economic benefits, and directly support many of the ambitions under the government's 25-Year Environment Plan and the Water Framework Directive. Collaborative working with Thames Water, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, consultants and academics has enabled the project to utilise existing delivery mechanisms and to model and monitor the effectiveness of NFM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Several national level calls have encouraged reconsideration of diversity issues in medical education. Particular interest has been placed on admissions, as decisions made here shape the nature of the future physician workforce. Critical analysis of current practices paired with evidence-informed policies may counter some of the barriers impeding access for underrepresented groups. Methods: We present a framework for diversity-related program development and evaluation grounded within a knowledge translation framework, and supported by the initiation of longitudinal collection of diversity-related data. We provide an illustrative case study for each component of the framework. Descriptive analyses are presented of pre/post intervention diversity metrics if applicable and available. Results: The framework's focal points are: 1) data-driven identification of underrepresented groups, 2) pipeline development and targeted recruitment, 3) ensuring an inclusive process, 4) ensuring inclusive assessment, 5) ensuring inclusive selection, and 6) iterative use of diversity-related data . Case studies ranged from wording changes on admissions websites to the establishment of educational and administrative offices addressing needs of underrepresented populations. Conclusions: We propose that diversity-related data must be collected on a variety of markers, developed in partnership with stakeholders who are most likely to facilitate implementation of best practices and new policies. These data can facilitate the design, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-informed diversity initiatives and provide a structure for continued investigation into 'interventions' supporting diversity-related initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the news management practices of the first Rudd government (2007-2010) and the extent to which they were responsible for both the government's initial success and its later decline and the subsequent replacement as Prime Minister of Kevin Rudd. Based on confidential interviews with 15 media advisers who worked for ministers in the first Rudd government, the article draws conclusions about the nature of the 'permanent campaign' and the double-edged nature of spin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contextualises the rise of political spin in Australian politics and discusses its meaning and implications. It examines the largely unmediated relationship between political leaders and journalists that existed until the 1970s. It locates the foundational period in the growth of professionalised public relations in the Fraser and Hawke governments and suggests that an assertive new style of journalism played a role in its birth. It debates some of the literature on spin, and suggests that spin is a permanent fixture and that journalists need to devise creative responses to it rather than simply denounce it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the ‘mining tax ad war of 2010’, which contributed to the removal of a first-term Labour prime minister and shaped Australia's Minerals Resource Rent Tax. In particular, it examines the uses, ethics and consequences of advocacy advertising, which is an under-explored aspect of communication power. The article identifies advocacy advertising as an increasingly prevalent technique used by corporations and lobby groups to influence public policy in Australia. In conclusion, the article focuses on the regulatory environment for such campaigns and the areas of future research that might help to safeguard democratic practices. 本文讨论了2010年的矿税广告战，该战把第一任期的工党领袖拉下了马，并造就了澳大利亚矿产资源租赁税。作者特别分析了广告宣传作为一种没太被研究的通讯权力的用途、伦理和结果。本文指出广告宣传日益成为公司和游说集团用以影响澳大利亚公共政策的流行工具。作者最后集中讨论了这类竞争的管制环境，以及有助于保护民主实践的未来研究领域。 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is the most powerful media organisation in the world. Murdoch's commercial success is obvious, but less well understood is his successful pursuit of political goals, using his news media. Murdoch himself is probably the most influential Australian of all time. He says the recent News of the World hacking scandal went 'went against everything [he stands] for'. But how true is this? He sees himself as an anti-establishment rebel, yet his influence in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States makes him part of a global elite. He has become one of the key promoters of neo-liberal ideology of small government and deregulation over the past 30 years. The basis of his philosophy was expressed by one of his former editors, David Montgomery, who said 'Rupert has contempt for the rules. Contempt even for governments.' Murdoch is also a devotee of the neo-conservative wing of the US Republican Party. The possibility of exercising power through ownership of the news media has been little studied in recent years, but Murdoch's role in English-speaking countries over the last 30 years shows that perhaps we need to look again at such media theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

News Corporation is one of the most closely studied international media conglomerates, headed by the world’s most famous media proprietor. Yet, despite its prominence in the academic literature, little attention has been paid to the company’s book publishing operations. This article seeks to rectify this oversight. It investigates some of the more controversial book deals made by HarperCollins, outlining a partisan publishing pattern that conforms to Murdoch’s proclivity for conservative politics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 2007 the global media company News Corporation announced that it would become ‘carbon neutral’ and generally endorsed scientific warnings about global warming. Its CEO, Rupert Murdoch, signaled not only that the media group held a corporate view toward the issue of climate change but that its editorial coverage would henceforth change. This article examines the period before this change of direction. From 1997 to 2007 newspapers and television stations owned by News Corporation, based on their editorials, columnists and commentators, largely denied the science of climate change and dismissed those who were concerned about it. While the intensity of commentary and editorials about climate change varied between media outlets owned by News Corporation in the USA, Britain and Australia, its corporate view framed the issue as one of political correctness rather than science. Scientific knowledge was portrayed as an orthodoxy and its own stance, and that of ‘climate sceptics’ as one of courageous dissent. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the political influence in the United States, Great Britain, and Australia of Australian media magnate Rupert Murdoch and his multinational News Corporation. In contrast to popular accounts of Murdoch as a businessman who prioritizes profit over politics, the article argues that his conservative political agenda is a more important motivation in his business decisions. Examples are discussed that are seen as typifying four distinguishing features of the Murdoch media operations: free market ideology; unified positions on matters of public policy; global editorial meetings; and opposition to liberal media bias.

This article contends that The Sunday Times became a champion of the ideas of free market populism after it was purchased by Rupert Murdoch. The driving force for this shift was the editor (1983-1994), Andrew Neil, who argued that free market ideology was a radical set of ideas which was on the side of ordinary people and which was opposed mainly by “elites” and “establishments”. This populist view of markets owes much to the ideas of the American Right and was shared by the newspaper's proprietor, Rupert Murdoch. The market populism of The Sunday Times was allied to a discourse in which opposing left-liberal views were characterised as politically correct “orthodoxies” rather than authentic positions. This article examines the newspaper's challenge to the “orthodoxies” of economic policy, the welfare state and policy on AIDS. It concludes that the popularisation of the market as a vehicle for social betterment was one of the lasting influences of this Murdoch newspaper, rather than simply its support for a particular leader (Thatcher) or party (the Conservatives). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partisan behaviour and abuses by intelligence and security agencies have often been attributed to the fact that agencies have become 'out of control' or 'rogue elephants'. But a detailed empirical study of the politicization of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) over ten years shows that the agency was not 'out of control' but very much under the control of its minister. The partisan use of security information arose from directives issued through the 'democratic' control exercised by a government. On the basis of this study, prevention of abuses by tighter governmental control is unlikely to work. A combination of government control, autonomy of the agency and independent scrutiny by an inspector-general is more likely to succeed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - To set up a protocol for electronic thesis and dissertation (ETD) submission for the electronic thesis initiative pilot project at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Design/methodology/approach - An electronic thesis and dissertation submission protocol was implemented and tested. To test authoring tools, we had 50 students submit their theses or dissertations using one of four style sheets. Word-processed files were converted to PDF and XML formats. The pilot project team evaluated DigiTool's effectiveness in digital conversion, capture of metadata and cataloguing, digital content harvesting, digital preservation, and integration with the student information system. Findings - All theses experienced some degree of information loss during the conversion. DigiTool is still being tested for storage, cataloguing, and dissemination capability. For full implementation, three major issues need to be addresed further: conversion; metadata; and file formats. Practical implications - Most of the issues that have arisen during the McGill pilot project will be mirrored in other academic institutions that are considering electronic thesis submission. Originality/value - This paper provides insights into the procedures that will arise as institutions go through the process of introducing electronic thesis and dissertation submission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 1955 and 1963 Western intelligence agencies regularly met in Thailand under the auspices of the SEATO defence pact. The proceedings of the Committee of Security Experts (CSE) demonstrate a number of internal tensions within Western intelligence and between them and Asian security bodies. A study of the CSE also demonstrates the difficulty in employing counter-subversion strategies when they impinge on democratic rights. The multilateral CSE largely failed in its stated objectives while SEATO was increasingly by-passed by the United States, which pursued a more unilateral course culminating in the Vietnam War. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the high level of interest that News Corporation's Chief Executive Officer, Rupert Murdoch, has always had in politics. It details his trajectory on the political spectrum, arguing that while his position has changed, one consistent theme has been libertarianism. It examines the political stance of News Corporation's Australian flagship newspaper and argues that it helped forge a neo-liberal consensus in the late 1970s both within conservative political circles and within the Australian public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The creation of ponds and wetlands has the potential to alleviate stream water quality impairment in catchments affected by diffuse agricultural pollution. Understanding the hydrological and biogeochemical functioning of these features is important in determining their effectiveness at mitigating pollution. This study investigated sediment and nutrient retention in three connected (on-line) ponds on a lowland headwater stream by sampling inflowing and outflowing concentrations during base and storm flows. Sediment trapping devices were used to quantify sediment and phosphorus accumulations within ponds over approximately monthly periods. The organic matter content and particle size composition of accumulated sediment were also measured. The ponds retained dissolved nitrate, soluble reactive phosphorus and suspended solids during baseflows. During small to moderate storm events, some ponds were able to reduce peak concentrations and loads of suspended solids and phosphorus; however, during large magnitude events, resuspension of deposited sediment resulted in net loss. Ponds filtered out larger particles most effectively. Between August 2019 and March 2020, the ponds accumulated 0.306 t ha−1 sediment from the 30 ha contributing area. During this period, total sediment accumulations in ponds were estimated to equal 7.6% of the suspended flux leaving the 340 ha catchment downstream. This study demonstrates the complexity of pollutant retention dynamics in on-line ponds and highlights how their effectiveness can be influenced by the timing and magnitude of events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the Australian Labor Party (ALP), with reference to the country's communist party. Indepth look at clandestine political activity within the Communist Party of Australia (CPA); Information on the recruitment of ALP members by the CPA; Discussion on the effects of the united front policy.

The article contemplates on the near-defeat suffered by the Labor government of Australia in the just-concluded 2010 parliamentary elections. It explains how the fiasco puts to light three traits of Australian politics, namely, the firm hold of conservatism in the country, the plan to push through with a mining tax, and the agreement entered into by the Green and Labor parties. It shows how Labor did poorly in each of the three issues. It declares that the results of the elections will force the government to rethink its policies.

The author offers his view on the revival of the Left which was the focus of the conference of activists and thinkers at Deakin University in Australia. He argues that the Left's weakness is the crisis of ideas and values which expresses alternatives and the rise of the Right shows that social change is depending on political ideas embedded in moral and intellectual framework. The author stresses that the Left lacks framework because it only has issues and campaigns instead of projecting a vision. He adds that there is an old Left in which its critique is based on material deprivation and the need for redistribution and the new Left, which is based on unsustainability of the economy and the empty affluence it is creating.

The authors reflect on physician shortage in Canada. The 2007 National Physician Survey focused on the increasing number of female physicians and their claim concerning inadequate work hours compared with their male colleagues. Physician shortage is due to myopic health planning wherein there is a miscalculation concerning enrollment in medical schools during 1990s.