The MQ Volume 21 Issue 2

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THE MQ UC SAN DIEGO

November 5, 2014

“You know what ‘FEAR’ stands for? It stands for ‘False Evidence Appearing Real.’ It’s the darkroom where Satan develops his negatives.” — Kaci Hickox, Quarantined Maine Nurse

Has anyone noticed that this line hasn’t changed for the last three issues?

Apple To Begin Capitalizing on Siri Romance Trend BY EVVAN BURKE

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Staff Writer

pple announced this week that in an effort to stay competitive and respond to user feedback, they will begin making their phones more compatible with romantic relationships. The news comes as other companies have begun revealing their own plans to corner the digital romance market. Windows has already released ads comparing the smoother voice of their AI Cortana to Siri’s “bone-killing digital tone deafness.” Google has reportedly begun filming a concept video for a holographic attachment to the Nexus to be released in 2030, and Nokia has begun a body positive poster campaign in Asia. “We’ve seen the response our users have had to Academy Award-winning films like ‘Her,’” said Apple CEO and President of U2 Fan Club WeAsWell Tim Cook in a press release. “And we feel we’re finally ready to give our customers what they want. “Our screens may be smaller and our speakers may

IN THIS ISSUE EBOLA HYSTERIA HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS

3

SAN DIEGO PREPARES WINTER OLYMPIC BID

4

PARANORMAL EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

6, 7

KHOSLA CAUGHT IN CRIME SPREE OREGON ORGAN HARVEST FESTIVAL

9 11

NEWS IN BRIEF PHOTO BY LAWRENCE LEE AND KATHERINE WOOD

“Maybe after dinner we can go back to my place and put on that case I bought you for Valentine’s Day?” said Edwards. be awkwardly placed, but our research shows that Siri is significantly hotter than any other phone on the market, most likely due to its slim figure and smaller charging port.” Apple also insists that Siri’s history will give them a com-

petitive edge. “We were the first sexy phone, and we’re not going to let that go easily,” said Cook. “We’ve already secured a partnership with tech company Fleshlight and we believe that customers are going to appre-

ciate the resulting immerison the iPhone will provide.” The Genius Bar will also be changing to accommodate predicted customer concerns, including a more in-depth

See SIRI, page 2

Nation Dutifully Exercises Right To Complain after Not Voting BY GARRETT CHAN

Assistant Design Editor

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mericans all across this “great bastion of the western democratic process” completed one of the most vital civic duties known to citizens of the United States this past Tuesday — complaining about election results after exercising their right to not vote. The right, which dates back to the Founding Fathers, was often ignored until the end of the Reagan administration. At this time, many wealthy suburbanites realized, after not attending any HOA meetings and insisting on hydrangeas around the clubhouse until maintenance put in the “goddamn hydrangeas,” that they very well also had the right to forgo the annual trip to the firehouse or community center to fill in their ballot, and the right to then snipe about which uppity success story from the projects was now on city council. The right to complain about something voters decided not to say anything about the day before, unlike ever-increasing upward mobility, has spread from the wealthy to all classes. The growing proportion of voters who describe themselves as “apathetic” is now roughly equal across all socioeconomic groups, and is only slightly outpaced by the proportion of Yahoo! usernames with “true_patriot” in them. So far this year, an estimated 92.6 percent of election guides have been recycled before reaching the pile of mail on the kitchen counter, while 4.1 percent are opened “to check for coupons.” An additional two to three percent are composted immediately af-

Volume XXI Issue II

AREA MAN DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED BY ACTUAL MEANING OF TERM “CONGRESSIONAL RACES” “I mean, I guess what I was picturing was sort of a ‘two men, one track’ set up, you know? We’d put like, Carl DeMaio and Scott Peters out there, and whoever runs across that line first, no matter how out of breath, would be it,” Ali stated last week as he emailed his coworkers that the betting pool would be closing. “Compared to that, popular vote is just a little disappointing. Though I guess it wouldn’t have been fair for whomever went up against Paul Ryan with his P80X or whatever, that

guy’s ripped. But still, it just seems like it would be more fun for everyone. And you know, isn’t that what we really need in trying times like these?” Studies have found that “perhaps, yes, yes it is.” The election itself, which is, to be clear, neither a NASCAR, swimming, running, nor flying race, will take place soon. Ali himself “supposes” he will vote, but was really hoping to watch Rand Paul “black out from the G-forces from a drift race turn” and crash into a safety wall.

THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES GOING HUNGRY IN PREPARATION FOR THANKSGIVING

PHOTO BY COLE STEFFENSEN

“I don’t know what Frost was talking about. I’m enjoying the ‘road more traveled’ thing,” said one citizen. ter reaching the U.S. Postal Service as part of the agency’s “Go Green! Wet Paper!” initiative. It was not surprising, then, that eligible voters from Maine to Alaska turned out in droves on Tuesday to go home and watch “NCIS,” only vaguely remembering that night was the midterm election. However, Benjamin Horthy, a member of the Beltway think tank People Now America, was more optimistic about the continued decline in voter turnout. “Americans are finding new, innovative ways to voice their thoughts about the nation’s direction,” Horthy opined. “Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram — if I mention these social media sites enough times, people

will believe that think tanks are more in tune with current trends in American society than Cosmo.” One bright spot in the lead-up to the midterm elections has come by way of NPR, which did a special series on voters across America; many of the interviewees were well-informed and enthusiastic to vote. In discussing the potential impact of the program, NPR issued the following statement: “While we at NPR are proud of the work we have done to motivate voters, we realize that the people who don’t vote are even less likely to listen to an NPR segment about voting.” NPR may have spoken too soon. Over 8,000 comments were posted on NPR’s arti-

cle on the midterm election results as of this morning, ranging from a lengthy, eloquent analysis of the Alaskan senatorial race to a lengthy, eloquent compilation of “fuck you” and its variants. Both selections, the former comparable to a New York Times op-ed and the latter to a New York Times used as toilet paper, were posted by non-voters from Oregon, who, nevertheless, went to their computers to perform this sacred civic duty. Neither had listened to the NPR segment, but had arrived at the comments section by way of seeing an “I voted” sticker on the ground, and then remembering to get on the internet and have their say, before the other side won the truly important battles.

LOCAL PUZZLE WONDERS IF HE’LL EVER BE FINISHED

AREA MAN GOING TO FUCK THE SHIT OUT OF THESE PLANTS

Takes a trip through puzzleEurope just to find himself

Attempts to add real foliage to family tree

Citizens of third-world countries have decided to join Americans in the annual tradition of slimming down before Thanksgiving, sympathizing with the Western difficulty of too much food to choose from on the big day. Sociologists discovered the trend this year when studying the daily intake of people of various countries and noting that while those in Great Britain, France, and Australia all had about the same level of food consumption, the United States shared a decreased consumption trend with Zimbabwe, Liberia, and Nepal. In fact, anthropologists have revealed that these countries seem to be even more enthusiastic about preparing for Thanksgiving. In the effort to keep a svelte figure and still be able

to enjoy Thanksgiving to the fullest, Nepalese woman Prirana Shah said that she was planning to perform manual labor, including repairing her bamboo-andmud house, as well as keep a diet of rice and lentil soup for at least the next few weeks. Similarly, Nigerian teenager Amadou Chukwu told researchers that his daily routine for the next few weeks will include hauling a five-gallon jug of water from the well in the center of town, which reflects the newly popular exercise regimen in the United States, the “loaded carry.” Cultural anthropologist Stuart Wilson remarked, “It’s nice to see that people from around the world can have such similar ways of preparing for a holiday that only applies to one country.”

FIGHT INTERRUPTED BY HOCKEY GAME An eagerly anticipated fight last weekend between Milan Lucic and Brandon Prust was interrupted by a hockey game between the Ottawa Senators and the Boston Bruins. “We came here all the way from Philly to see those two go at it,” said Roger Matheson, who was found standing dejectedly outside of Boston’s TD Garden, the unmistakable sounds of a hockey game clearly audible in the background. “They were brawling for

a good minute or two,” he went on. “But then this guy in a striped shirt broke them up. I thought it was just for them to take a break, but then these guys with wooden sticks started whacking a piece of rubber around. It was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen. “Well, almost. The strangest thing would be having a boxing match on an ice rink. Isn’t that kind of unsafe?” he added.

See BRIEFS, page 11


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