UBC Reports | Vol. 51 | No. 10 | Oct. 6, 2005

In the News

Highlights of UBC Media Coverage in September 2005

Compiled by Ai Lin Choo

Did Feeding Human Remains to Cattle Start Mad-Cow?

Mad-cow disease may have developed because human remains were fed to British cattle in the 1960s and 1970s, according to a disturbing hypothesis presented in The Lancet.

“All I can say at this point is it’s plausible. It’s not out to lunch,” UBC neurology professor Neil Cashman said in an interview with The Globe and Mail.

“But it’s also not clear whether this hypothesis is true, or even if this hypothesis can be tested.”

Sauder Ranks Among Top Canadian Business Schools

The Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia ranked third among Canadian graduate business schools in terms of the “return on investment” attained by graduates, according to a Forbes Magazine ranking.

The school posted a five-year gain of US$85,000. A “five-year MBA gain” was determined by averaging post-MBA salary, then by subtracting tuition and any salary the student gave up to attend school.

The MBA program at York University’s Schulich School of Business in Toronto ranked top with a gain of US$104,000, followed by Queen’s School of Business, with students reporting a gain of US$93,000.

Surveillance Legislation Proposed

Police and security agencies will be able to track Canadians via their cellphones, BlackBerrys and laptop computers, under a measure contemplated as part of the federal government’s planned electronic surveillance bill.

Ottawa made the proposal during consultations this year on a legislative package that is anticipated to be unveiled this fall, reports The National Post.

“The assumption is that we should be trackable whether we want to or not,” said Richard Rosenberg, a retired University of British Columbia computer science professor. “It’s very creepy.”

The Demise of Salmon

Pacific salmon will become extinct over the next century, a group of 30 scientists, policy analysts and advocates have concluded.

In an interview with the Associated Press, William Rees, a population ecologist at the University of British Columbia, said the extinction of salmon is inevitable as long as human populations continue to increase, leaving less energy and resources for all other species, including the fish.

He added that the decline of salmon is a minor regional symptom of a global problem.

Private Insurance Undermines Medicare

A Supreme Court of Canada ruling that cleared the way for private health insurance in Quebec will see Canadians “pay, pay and pay,” said Morris Barer, founding director of the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research at UBC.

Barer told a major academic conference that the ruling ignored research on the impact of private insurance in a public health-care system, reports The Globe and Mail.

Canadians Don’t Know Enough About Nutrition

A new study shows that Canadians don’t know enough about the importance of protein-rich foods, such as meat, fish eggs or dairy products.

“The reality is that too many Canadians could be jeopardizing their health by not eating enough meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, cheese or yogurt,’’ said UBC professor Susan Barr, reports the Victoria Times Colonist.

“In addition to high-quality protein, these foods are important sources of many essential nutrients, such as iron, zinc, calcium and many B vitamins.’’