Latest news with #Archer
USA Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
A drama professor encouraged his students to strip. The college shrugged.
A drama professor encouraged his students to strip. The college shrugged. | Opinion A Mesa Community College instructor encourages his female drama students to strip for a class assignment. Two months later, he was still teaching and the school is playing duck and cover. Show Caption Hide Caption Blake Lively files legal complaint against Justin Baldoni Blake Lively says "It Ends with Us" co-star Justin Baldoni sexually harassed her and tried to destroy her reputation in a California legal filing. A Mesa Community College drama teacher in Arizona encouraged his young female students to strip on stage for their midterm exam. The rest of the class was forced to watch. Students complained and not for the first time. For two months, Mace Archer was still teaching the class. And college officials? They get an A in performance art – a farcical piece entitled "How to Look Like You're Doing Something Without Doing Anything At All." "Because this is an active personnel matter, we cannot provide specific details to protect the privacy of those involved," Lindsey Wilson, spokeswoman for Maricopa Community Colleges, assured Arizona Republic reporter Robert Anglen in a May 19 email. "Our colleges," Wilson said, "take any allegations of misconduct seriously and are committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for students, faculty, and staff." So seriously, in fact, that Archer was allowed to finish out the semester, fully two months after the strip show, and was slotted in for fall classes. 'I ... sometimes can't muster up the courage to go' The lights should have come on in February, when a student in Archer's modern drama class warned college officials that he was sexualizing her performances and touching females inappropriately. Thea Moore, a musical theater major, told an administrator she dreaded going to class. "I get severe anxiety everyday before attending and sometimes can't muster up the courage to go," she wrote in a Feb. 20 email to Puvana Ganesan, who chair's the communication, theater and film arts department. "A lot of his classes are requirements for our degree, which is difficult." Opinion: Four fifth-graders planned to kill their classmate. What does that say about us? Ganesan replied the next day, saying she was "truly sorry" and asking for examples of Archer's behavior. So Moore sent a five-point list and never heard back. Eventually, she dropped the class, prompting another email from Ganesan, saying she was 'truly so sorry.' "I completely understand that sometimes, we experience discomfort that can be too great to continue," Ganesan wrote March 6. Take off your clothes for a grade Apparently, Archer's female students experience a fair amount of discomfort – enough that they've compiled a shared file of complaints, ranging from sexual harassment to rude behavior to disturbing assignments. Speaking of disturbing assignments, students in Archer's Acting 2 class this spring were required to offer a performance in which they had to face a fear. One student, Gabrielle Monroe, said the teacher steered some of the younger females toward taking off their clothes on stage to complete the March midterm assignment. "I have heard from other women that their initial idea was not enough of a fear risk, and he suggested that they remove articles of clothing," Monroe told Anglen. Two young women stripped to their underwear under the glow of the theater's stage lights, as Archer and their classmates watched. One got buck naked. Opinion: Gen Z has been priced out of a future, so we invest in the present I guess if you've got to suffer for your art, you might as well do it for your 56-year-old teacher's viewing pleasure. Hopefully, they scored an A. College officials ducked Anglen's questions about the three strip shows, saying only that they launched a 'formal investigation' in March after 'receiving concerns.' They offered no explanation for why Archer was allowed to continue teaching, finish the spring semester and was even listed as an instructor in the fall course catalogue until Anglen asked about it. (The catalogue was then changed, with the instructor listed as "staff".) My guess is Mesa Community College's "formal investigation' commenced with Anglen's phone call. My recommendation is the people who run the community colleges consider a career in comedy. "Our colleges take any allegations of misconduct seriously and are committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for students, faculty, and staff,' they say? Yeah, I'm still laughing at that one. Laurie Roberts is a columnist for The Arizona Republic, where this column originally appeared. Reach Roberts at or follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @LaurieRobertsaz, on Threads at @LaurieRobertsaz and on BlueSky at @
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Down 20%! This ex-penny stock just got stung by a short report
Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) is a former penny stock that has been on my mind recently. I sold shares of this flying taxi start-up about a year ago, just before they went on to surge by more than 200%. Cue Homer Simpson's famous catchphrase… Rubbing salt in the wounds was rival Joby Aviation (NYSE: JOBY), the stock I doubled down on with the cash from that Archer sale. Until recently, it was 'only' up about 40% over this period. So I was beginning to think I might have backed the wrong horse, especially after Archer signed a deal with Palantir earlier this year to 'build artificial intelligence (AI) for the future of next-gen aviation technologies'. However, two pieces of news have recently sent the Archer and Joby share prices on divergent flight paths. Here's what has happened. Archer Aviation is aiming to launch an air taxi service in Abu Dhabi by the end of 2025 with its Midnight electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. In Q1, it said everything had gone splendidly, and it had more than $1bn on the balance sheet. Founder and CEO Adam Goldstein commented: 'Archer's pushing the boundaries of what's possible and reshaping the future of aviation for years to come.' The stock jumped 23% after this bullish update. However, it plummeted 20% a couple of weeks ago when short-seller Culper Research released a report accusing Archer of misleading investors. It said the firm's Midnight eVTOL isn't as far along as management has claimed, while also highlighting design changes that might suggest aircraft stability problems. In response, Archer called the claims 'baseless', and said Culper is 'not a credible research institution'. By contrast, Joby stock surged 27% this week following the closure of a $250m investment from partner Toyota. This funding supports the firm's progress toward FAA certification and commercial production of its electric air taxis. Founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt commented: 'We're already seeing the benefit of working with Toyota in streamlining manufacturing processes and optimising design.' Joby remains on track to launch its service in Dubai later this year, but there could always be regulatory setbacks. Meanwhile, flying passengers safely from Manchester Airport to Leeds in just 15 minutes — instead of one hour+ by car or train — is still unproven. In my experience, reports from short-sellers need to be taken seriously, even though they have a financial incentive to see the stock in question fall. It definitely adds risk to the investment case because Archer hasn't addressed any of the specific accusations yet. That said, you can normally gauge how seriously other investors take the claims by the severity of the share price reaction. In Archer's case, it's 20% lower than before the report, but still up 27% in the past month and 230% over a year. Heavyweight partners like United Airlines and Stellantis add weight to its technology. For investors looking to invest in this exciting space, I think Joby is worth a look at $8. But both these stocks are high risk because eVTOLS haven't been approved by the FAA yet, meaning each firm is pre-revenue and therefore loss-making. Still, at least recent developments have eased my concern that I backed the wrong horse. The post Down 20%! This ex-penny stock just got stung by a short report appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool Ben McPoland has positions in Joby Aviation. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Arizona: Explosive report claims drama professor accused of forcing student to undress onstage, watch porn
Arizona: Explosive report claims drama professor accused of forcing student to undress onstage, watch porn. (Pic credit: MCC website) A shocking investigative report by the Arizona Republic has unveiled disturbing allegations against a drama professor at Mesa Community College, Mace Archer, 56, who is accused of coercing students to strip, flirting, and exposing them to pornography during class. School officials have launched an investigation into the claims, though students assert their complaints were ignored for months before the probe. According to the report, students in Archer's drama class maintained a shared file documenting two years of alleged "sexual depravity." This file reportedly contains over a dozen anonymous accusations. Among the most unsettling allegations are claims that Archer coached a student to "dive into" her personal experience of sexual assault for performance purposes and, in another alleged incident, straddled a student during a "demonstration." He is also accused of playing "orgy porn" videos for his students. Most disturbingly, Archer is alleged to have coerced three female students, some of whom were still teenagers, into taking off their clothes on stage. Under the guise of "vulnerability exercises" for midterms, students were reportedly forced to strip down to their underwear or go completely nude in front of Archer and their classmates. A student in Archer's class, told the Republic that the purpose of the midterm was for students to face their fears, not to end up nude. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo However, she and other female students claim Archer made it precisely about that. "On the first day, two women stripped down to their underwear. The person who got naked was on the second day," the student recounted. "We all knew what to expect." She described the scene of one student stripping silently, "She was just silent. She just took her clothes off. People were kind of shocked, but it was silent. No music, no talking, nothing." The student was one of approximately 16 students in a second-level acting class taught by Archer, which she said was intended to test the limits of students' fear. While school officials would not confirm to the Arizona Republic whether encouraging or watching students undress in an acting class constituted an explicit policy violation, the publication noted that school rules prohibit "any unwelcome conduct that a reasonable person would find so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it denies a person equal educational access." Administrators for Maricopa Community Colleges, the district overseeing Mesa Community College, declined interview requests from the Arizona Republic. Lindsey Wilson, a spokesperson for the district, said in a May 19 email, "Because this is an active personnel matter, we cannot provide specific details to protect the privacy of those involved." Wilson added, "Our colleges take any allegations of misconduct seriously and are committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for students, faculty, and staff," assuring that appropriate action would be taken based on the investigation's outcome. The Mesa Police Department confirmed it is not currently investigating the accusations.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Better Growth Stock: Archer Aviation vs. Rocket Lab USA
Archer Aviation plans to deliver a lot more aircraft. Rocket Lab plans to launch more rockets. One of these companies has a clearer vision for the future. 10 stocks we like better than Archer Aviation › Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) and Rocket Lab USA (NASDAQ: RKLB) are both highly speculative aerospace stocks. Archer is a developer of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, while Rocket Lab sells reusable orbital rockets. But over the past 12 months, Archer's stock soared more than 220% as Rocket Lab's stock surged over 500%. Let's see if either of these hot stocks is worth buying as a growth play today. Archer's flagship Midnight eVTOL aircraft can carry one pilot and four passengers. It can travel up to 100 miles on a single charge with a maximum speed of 150 miles per hour. It promotes the Midnight as a cheaper, greener, and easier-to-land alternative to helicopters, and it's already working with major airlines, automakers, and the U.S. Air Force to provide air taxi services. The company also plans to launch its own air taxi service, which it claims will cost roughly the same as Uber Technologies' premium UberBlack service within the next two years. Archer's backlog already includes hundreds of orders, and it claims it can increase its annual production to 10 aircraft in 2025, 48 aircraft in 2026, 252 aircraft in 2027, and 650 aircraft in 2028. It believes it can eventually manufacture up to 2,000 aircraft annually as it scales up its business. That growth trajectory would be incredible, but Archer has only delivered a single Midnight aircraft to the U.S. Air Force so far. That delivery didn't generate any revenue because it was a test aircraft, but Archer expects to deliver its first "revenue-generating" aircraft to Abu Dhabi Aviation for its new air taxi service by the end of this year. Archer also partnered with Palantir Technologies, a leading provider of analytics and AI services for the U.S. government, this March to accelerate the production of its aircraft and strengthen its aviation systems. Analysts expect Archer's revenue to rise from nothing in 2024 to $12.7 million in 2025, $143.9 million in 2026, and $437.1 million in 2027. But with a market capitalization of $5.8 billion, it already trades at 13 times its projected sales for 2027 -- so a lot of growth is already baked into its high-flying shares. The company also won't come close to breaking even anytime soon. But if you expect Archer's eVTOL aircraft to replace helicopters over the next decade, it might just deserve that higher valuation. Rocket Lab's flagship reusable rocket, the Electron, is used to carry small payloads of up to 300 kilograms into space. It's been successfully launched 64 times, was used to deploy 225 satellites, and operates from three dedicated launch pads. Its next rocket, the Neutron, will carry a maximum capacity of 15,000 kilograms when it launches in the second half of this year. The company already serves large customers like NASA, the U.S. Space Force, the Swedish National Space Agency, Capella Space, and BlackSky Technology. It launched six rockets in 2021, nine in 2022, 10 in 2023, and 16 last year. From 2021 to 2024, Rocket Lab's annual revenue rose more than sevenfold from $62 million to $436 million as its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) margin improved from negative 70% to negative 22%. Over the past year, it shipped two research satellites for NASA and gained an additional contract for the agency's next Mars mission. It also agreed to deploy a constellation of 25 satellites for Kinéis, a global Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity provider, sealed a multiyear Electron launch contract with Japan's Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space (iQPS), and secured new U.S. defense contracts. From 2024 to 2027, analysts expect Rocket Lab's annual revenue to nearly triple from $436 million to $1.18 billion. They also expect its adjusted EBITDA to turn positive in 2026 and for it to turn fully profitable by 2027. That rosy outlook suggests it will keep thriving in the shadow of its bigger competitor, SpaceX, which launched a record 138 Falcon rockets in 2024. But with a market cap of $11.7 billion, it also isn't a bargain at nearly 10 times its projected sales for 2027. Archer Aviation could have plenty of upside potential if the nascent eVTOL market takes off, but it hasn't proven that its business model is sustainable yet. Meanwhile, Rocket Lab USA has significantly ramped up its launches over the past few years, it's developing new rockets, and its margins are steadily improving as economies of scale kick in. So, if I had to pick one of these speculative stocks over the other, I'd stick with Rocket Lab because it seems better prepared to expand its fledgling business. Before you buy stock in Archer Aviation, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Archer Aviation wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $639,271!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $804,688!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 957% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 167% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 Leo Sun has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Palantir Technologies and Uber Technologies. The Motley Fool recommends Rocket Lab USA. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Better Growth Stock: Archer Aviation vs. Rocket Lab USA was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nic Nemeth Hints At Archer Influencing His Finishing Move
Nic Nemeth recently hinted at his finisher being influenced by the animated series Archer. Since his WWE release in 2023, Nemeth, formerly known as Dolph Ziggler, has reinvented himself in TNA. As Ziggler, he primarily used the Zig Zag or Superkick as his finishing moves in WWE. Now in TNA, he has rebranded his move and calls his new finisher 'Danger Zone.' Advertisement While answering fan questions on Twitter/X, Nic Nemeth was asked if the name Danger Zone was inspired by Archer as a reference to one of the show's famous catchphrases. Nemeth replied with a simple yet teasing response: 'Perhaps…' For those unfamiliar, Archer is a popular animated spy comedy series that ran on FX for 14 seasons from 2009 to 2023. The show often uses the phrase 'Danger Zone' to reference main character Sterling Archer's love of the 1986 song by Kenny Loggins, impending danger, and it is used as a running gag with Archer's Lana Kane. How did Vince McMahon react to Nic Nemeth's WWE World title win? Back in 2013, Nic Nemeth cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Alberto Del Rio, creating one of WWE's most memorable moments. His win got the loudest ovation of the night as he captured the World Heavyweight Championship. Advertisement Speaking on LiMPiN AiNT EASY w/ Timmy Baltimore, Nic Nemeth explained that multiple bosses, including Vince McMahon, told him he would never become World Champion. 'I was told I'd never be world champion to my face by every boss that there is, and then became world champion. I was told that I wouldn't win Money in the Bank, and even when we're down to it, they said it'll be you or Cody, and that was the night before.' 'And then the day of, Jamie Noble's helping us out. He's like, 'They might switch it while you're out there, I don't know.' I go, 'Go f**king head, I'm climbing that ladder. Even then, once I got the briefcase. The boss goes, 'You're going to lose even more now, but it's going to mean so much more when you cash in.' 'All this bulls**t ends, and you become our guy.' I was like, Whoa. okay, cashed in, greatest freaking moment, came to the back. I thanked everybody and Vince. And then Michael Hayes goes, 'Hey, go tell him thank you.' I'm like, 'I did.' He goes, 'Do it again.' 'Sir, thank you for this opportunity. I hope you heard that crowd. I'm here to do whatever the hell you want. I'm going to be your guy one way or another.' And it's something along the lines of, 'Yeah, you're just holding it for another month or two until we get Del Rio some sympathy, and then, uh, he's going to take it back.' The post Nic Nemeth Hints At Archer Influencing His Finishing Move appeared first on Wrestlezone.
