UC Santa Barbara

15 Stories

Professor: I Solved the Case of the Man in the Iron Mask

It wasn't the king's twin brother, says Paul Sonnino

(Newser) - Where Voltaire, Alexandre Dumas, and the team behind 1998's The Man in the Iron Mask failed, Paul Sonnino says he has succeeded. The history professor at UC Santa Barbara claims to have uncovered the true identity of the masked man who, starting in 1669, spent more than 30 years...

65% of Women Have Been Harassed on Street

And it often turns physical, says nonprofit group

(Newser) - A new survey offers some alarming stats about what women endure on the streets of America: It finds that 65% of them have experienced harassment of some sort, Mother Jones reports. Some 41% of women were physically harassed, a category that includes being flashed, fondled, or followed. The report from...

Rodger's Parents Knew He Was Mentally Ill by Age 8

'He was as withdrawn as any person I ever met': family friend

(Newser) - For the parents of Elliot Rodger, their son's mental health was always a concern , those close to them tell the New York Times . As his parents were divorcing when he was approaching age 8, his mother, Li Chin, sought additional child support for her "high-functioning autistic" son, while...

Police Knew of Rodger's 'Disturbing' Videos in April

Did not find cause to watch them after 10-minute welfare check

(Newser) - Police are now confirming they were aware as early as late April that Elliot Rodger posted "disturbing" videos online, but didn't watch them, even after a visit to Rodger's apartment weeks before the Isla Vista shooting. Four deputies, a UC Santa Barbara police officer, and a dispatcher...

Critic: Shooter's 'Delusions Inflated' by ... Rogen Movies

Actor 'horribly' insulted, hits back at WaPo movie critic

(Newser) - In a column Sunday, Washington Post film critic Ann Hornaday suggested that Hollywood contributed to the feelings of the Isla Vista shooter —who declared in a video that he would take revenge on women who rejected him—and Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow aren't happy that Hornaday specifically...

Shooter's Parents Sped to Try to Stop Him

All 6 of Elliot Rodger's victims now identified

(Newser) - When Elliot Rodger's parents realized just how dangerous their disturbed son was, they made a desperate attempt to try to stop him. They received a copy of his 141-page manifesto and saw a YouTube video outlining his plans for his "Day of Retribution" on Friday night and called...

Dark Details Emerge in Calif. Massacre

Rodger left 141-page manifesto, ranted about women who shunned him

(Newser) - Elliot Rodger stabbed three men to death in his apartment before going on a shooting rampage that devastated Isla Vista, Calif. Those murders appear in line with a 141-page manifesto, reports the LA Times , in which he wrote, "On the day before the Day of Retribution, I will start...

Cops: Video Promising 'Slaughter' Likely Tied to Shooting

Santa Barbara police analyzing post before rampage

(Newser) - Police say a video made by a 22-year-old man vowing to kill as many people as he can "appears to be connected" to last night's deadly shooting spree near UC Santa Barbara, reports the LA Times . In the video, titled "Elliot Rodger's Retribution Video," the...

7 Dead in Drive-By Shootings in Santa Barbara

7 others injured near campus; one suspect among dead

(Newser) - Police say seven people are dead and another seven injured after a series of drive-by shootings near UC Santa Barbara last night, reports KEYT-TV . Police are still unraveling what happened during the 10-minute rampage in the Isla Vista neighborhood, but they say the suspect is among the dead. Witnesses reported...

Spring Break Party Descends Into Riot

Tear gas, rubber bullets fired near UC Santa Barbara

(Newser) - At least six police officers were injured and more than 100 people arrested after a street party near the University of California at Santa Barbara turned into what police called a "major disturbance, emergency situation." Even before trouble began, 56 of the estimated 15,000 revelers at the...

Married 41 Years, Profs Turn Sex 101 Into an Institution

UC Santa Barbara profs

(Newser) - For more than 20 years, John and Janice Baldwin have instructed students at UC Santa Barbara about sex, love, and everything in between, while implicitly offering their own 41-year-old marriage as a positive example, the LA Times reports. Their “Sociology of Human Sexuality” is one of the most popular...

Prof's Nazi-Israeli Comparison Stirs Uproar

Students, faculty defend instructor amid anti-Semitism charges

(Newser) - A UC Santa Barbara professor's decision to send his students an email comparing graphic photographs of the Holocaust's Jewish victims to similar shots taken of Palestinians during the recent offensive in Gaza has caused an uproar. Many students and faculty members have expressed support for the professor, who is Jewish,...

Tusk of Rare Pygmy Mammoth Found on Calif. Island

Find may help solve extinction mystery

(Newser) - A tusk that may belong to a rare pygmy mammoth, a dwarf version of the giant elephant-like mammal that roamed the Earth thousands of years ago, has been found on Santa Cruz Island off California, reports the Los Angeles Times. The 4-foot-long tusk, more than 10,000 years old, was...

Brass: Let Gays Serve Openly
 Brass: Let Gays Serve Openly 
Jul 8, 2008 2:40 AM CDT

Brass: Let Gays Serve Openly

Study says gays don't undermine military

(Newser) - Four high-ranking retired military officers have called on Congress to repeal the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy, saying that it makes it extremely difficult for gays in the US military, reports AP. Allowing gays to serve openly would not undermine the morale, discipline or effectiveness of units in...

Robot Worms Offer Cancer Hope
 Robot Worms Offer
 Cancer Hope 
May 13, 2008 2:31 PM CDT

Robot Worms Offer Cancer Hope

Tiny machines could identify, kill tumors early

(Newser) - Little mechanical “worms” offer the latest hope for early detection—and eradication—of cancer. Researchers have created tiny machines that travel through the body, find tumors that are too small to see in normal scans, and then deliver drugs to kill them. The method has worked to spot tumors...

15 Stories