O’Brien lächelte leise. »Sie sind kein Metaphysiker, Winston«, sagte er. »Bis jetzt hatten Sie nie in Betracht gezogen, was mit Existenz gemeint ist. Ich will es deutlicher ausdrücken. Existiert die Vergangenheit konkret – im Raum? Gibt es irgendwo einen Ort, eine Welt greifbarer Dinge, wo die Vergangenheit noch in Erscheinung tritt?«
»Nein.«
»Wo dann existiert die Vergangenheit, wenn überhaupt?«
»In Aufzeichnungen. Sie ist niedergeschrieben.«
»In Aufzeichnungen. Und?«
»Im Denken. Im Gedächtnis der Menschen.«
»Im Gedächtnis. Nun, dann also gut. Wir, die Partei, kontrollieren alle Aufzeichnungen, und wir kontrollieren alle Erinnerungen. Demnach also kontrollieren wir die Vergangenheit, oder nicht?«
»Aber wie könnt ihr die Menschen daran hindern, sich an Dinge zu erinnern?« rief Winston, der wieder einen Augenblick die Skala vergaß. »Es geschieht unwillkürlich. Man kann nichts dagegen tun. Wie könnt ihr das Gedächtnis kontrollieren? Meines habt ihr nicht kontrolliert!«
O’Briens Verhalten wurde wieder streng. Er legte die Hand auf die Zahlenscheibe. »Umgekehrt«, sagte er. »Sie haben es nicht kontrolliert. Das hat Sie hierher gebracht. Sie sind hier, weil Sie es an Demut, an Selbstdisziplin haben fehlen lassen. Sie wollten den Akt der Unterwerfung nicht vollziehen, der der Preis ist für geistige Gesundheit. Sie zogen es vor, ein Verrückter, eine Minderheit von einem einzelnen zu sein. Nur der geschulte Geist erkennt die Wirklichkeit, Winston.
Sie glauben, Wirklichkeit sei etwas Objektives, äußerlich Vorhandenes, aus eigenem Recht Bestehendes. Auch glauben Sie, das Wesen der Wirklichkeit sei an sich klar. Wenn Sie sich der Selbsttäuschung hingeben, etwas zu sehen, nehmen Sie an, jedermann sehe das gleiche wie Sie. Aber ich sage Ihnen, Winston, die Wirklichkeit ist nicht etwas an sich Vorhandenes. Die Wirklichkeit existiert im menschlichen Denken und nirgendwo anders. Nicht im Denken des einzelnen, der irren kann und auf jeden Fall bald zugrunde geht: nur im Denken der Partei, die kollektiv und unsterblich
ist.
Was immer die Partei für Wahrheit hält, ist Wahrheit. Es ist unmöglich, die Möglichkeit anders als durch die Augen der Partei zu sehen. Diese Tatsache müssen Sie wieder lernen, Winston. Dazu bedarf es eines Aktes der Selbstaufgabe, eines Willensaufwandes. Sie müssen sich demütigen, ehe Sie geistig gesund werden können.«
Archiv: Realität / virtuelle Realitäten / Verlust / reality / virtual realities / loss
1984 By George Orwell
In some ways she was far more acute than Winston, and far less susceptible to Party propaganda. Once when he happened in some connexion to mention the war against Eurasia, she startled him by saying casually that in her opinion the war was not happening. The rocket bombs which fell daily on London were probably fired by the Government of Oceania itself, ‘just to keep people frightened’. This was an idea that had literally never occurred to him. She also stirred a sort of envy in him by telling him that during the Two Minutes Hate her great difficulty was to avoid bursting out laughing. But she only questioned the teachings of the Party when they in some way touched upon her own life. Often she was ready to accept the official mythology, simply because the difference between truth and falsehood did not seem important to her.
(…)
War, it will be seen, accomplishes the necessary destruction, but accomplishes it in a psychologically acceptable way. In principle it would be quite simple to waste the surplus labour of the world by building temples and pyramids, by digging holes and filling them up again, or even by producing vast quantities of goods and then setting fire to them.
But this would provide only the economic and not the emotional basis for a hierarchical society. What is concerned here is not the morale of masses, whose attitude is unimportant so long as they are kept steadily at work, but the morale of the Party itself. Even the humblest Party member is expected to be competent, industrious, and even intelligent within narrow limits, but it is also necessary that he should be a credulous and ignorant fanatic whose prevailing moods are fear, hatred, adulation, and orgiastic triumph. In other words it is necessary that he should have the mentality appropriate to a state of war. It does not matter whether the war is actually happening, and, since no decisive victory is possible, it does not matter whether the war is going well or badly. All that is needed is that a state of war should exist.
9/11 Changed the World in Many Ways. It Also Spawned the Digital Media Era
The whole world, literally, was watching. Never before had more people seen the same news event at the same moment. An estimated two billion people or more—a third of the species—saw the attacks in real time or watched coverage in that day’s news reports. “If you think about the rise of terrorism since 9/11,” explained David Hazinski, the former head of the University of Georgia’s broadcast news initiative, five years after the attacks, “it’s almost proof that terrorist[s] recognize this is a global village. Now you have the potential to reach a two and a half billion audience for your act.”
WATCH: Trump promises $5,000 ‚dividend‘ for Americans if GOP wins midterms
Watch Trump‘s remarks in the video player above.
„If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000,“ Trump told the crowd at the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas. „It will be called the Trump dividend.“
DSA Statement on the New State Department Report on Cuba
(August 10, 2026)
We are being depicted as fanatics for building a world where people live in peace, safe from bombs; where no child goes hungry; where no family has to worry that their lives will be ripped apart by ICE; and where no one has to suffer from lack of housing or healthcare. They depict us as such because they are afraid that our ideas are not fringe demands. These are the demands that millions of Americans have already committed to fighting for at the ballot box and in the streets.
Despite Rubio’s attempt to smear us, his report admits that DSA does not organize on behalf of the Cuban Government, only of its own accord.
Trump threatens to bomb Oman if it „gets in the way“
President Trump told Fox News on Monday that the U.S. would bomb Oman if the country „gets in the way“ of U.S. efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war with Iran, according to the network‘s Trey Yingst.
„If Oman gets in the way, we‘ll bomb the s*** out of them,“ Trump said, according to Yingst‘s recounting of his conversation with the president.
Araghchi says talks with Oman and reopening of Hormuz are ‘two separate issues’
“Our negotiations with Oman are ongoing. That is a completely separate matter. It is a technical issue concerning the designation of maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz for the passage of ships.”
“The routes that existed previously are no longer functional, so a new route needs to be defined. For now, we are designing a temporary route, which can then, at a later stage, be turned into a final route.”
“We may reach an outcome soon, but I want to emphasise that these negotiations and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz are two separate issues. This is a technical negotiation concerning the designation of a maritime route.”
Strait of Hormuz „will remain Iranian,“ Tehran official says
„This strait will only be closed and opened under Iran‘s command,“ Gharibabadi said.
Trump says he‘ll declare Strait of Hormuz a „territory of the United States“
President Trump vowed to declare the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory during a rally in New York as Iran and the U.S. clash over control of the key waterway.
„After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I‘ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,“ the president said.
Republicans get the Democrat they wanted as socialist Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate primary
Big money, the Democratic old guard and attacks on El-Sayed’s Democratic Socialist leanings dominated the primary, and leave the last man standing on the Left bruised and battered heading into the showdown with Rogers.
Neuer ukrainischer Generalstabschef: „Russland hat kein Existenzrecht“
Donezk und Lugansk seien schwierige Gebiete, so Drapatyj. Dort würden vor allem „Umsiedler“ (aus Russland), „Kriminelle“ und Personen wohnen, „die nicht arbeiten und alles umsonst haben wollen“ (Minute 12:00). In Donezk und Lugansk lebe eine Bevölkerung „ohne Bewusstsein“. Mit „Bewusstsein“ meint Drapatyj das Gefühl, zur Ukraine zu gehören.
Russland ist laut Drapatyj eine „ständige Gefahr“ für die Ukraine. „Das ist eine Nation mit einer Führung, die kein Recht auf Existenz hat. Sie hat während tausend Jahren nichts Zivilisatorisches hervorgebracht, nicht in der Mentalität und nicht in dem imperial-ambitionierten Verhalten.“ (Minute 23:40)
Mit Russland könne die Ukraine, so Drapatyj, keinen Kompromiss finden. „Am Ende des Kampfes um unsere Unabhängigkeit muss unser Sieg stehen. Ein Sieg ohne Kompromisse.“ (24:34)
US accuses Cuba of sweeping spy campaign, aiding American left
(July 21, 2026)
Containing little new information, the report, titled „Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism,“ comes as US President Donald Trump pushes to end communist rule of the island while amping up anti-leftist rhetoric at home.
A months-long pressure campaign has seen Washington effectively impose an oil embargo on Cuba, while issuing economic sanctions against key state-run companies and even indicting the former president, Raul Castro.
State Dept. again deems Cuba a threat amid talk of U.S. push for regime change
(July 20, 2026)
A new report claims Havana influenced “the George Floyd riots to the rise of Antifa” and accuses the Democratic Socialists of America of Cuba ties.
Yemen’s Houthis announce maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels announced a maritime embargo of their foe Saudi Arabia after the two sides traded fire last week for the first time in years.
The rebels “declare a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of ‘an eye for an eye,’ effective immediately upon the issuance of this statement”, military spokesman Yahya Saree said
Iran to continue attacks until „calm returns to Strait of Hormuz“
The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force, Seyed Majid Mousavi, announced that Iran will continue attacks „until calm returns to the southern coastline and the Strait of Hormuz”, according to Al Jazeera‘s reports of Iranian state media.
The statement comes as the IRGC has claimed responsibility for attacks on US military targets in Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, and Syria, Al Jazeera reports.
Iran criticises Oman over announcement of southern shipping corridor in the Strait of Hormuz
According to Iranian officials, Tehran considers itself responsible for managing maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz under its interpretation of the memorandum of understanding with the United States and maintains that it has the authority to designate approved shipping routes.
Oman’s announcement that vessels could use a southern corridor within Omani territorial waters prompted criticism from Tehran.
According to the report, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that it could take action against vessels using routes outside those designated by Iranian authorities.
The Earth’s Magnetic Field Is At Least 3.7-Billion-Years Old, New Evidence Shows
(April 24, 2024)
The age of the Earth’s magnetic field remains under question in part because we don’t fully understand what causes it today. We know it is a product of movements in the molten outer core, whose high iron content turns convection currents into a dynamo, and these currents in turn are produced by the solidification of the inner core.
Earth‘s inner core nucleation paradox
(April 2018)
Using constraints from experiments, simulations, and theory, we show that spontaneous crystallization in a homogeneous liquid iron alloy at Earth‘s core pressures requires a critical supercooling of order 1000 K, which is too large to be a plausible mechanism for the origin of Earth‘s inner core. We consider mechanisms that can lower the nucleation barrier substantially. Each has caveats, yet the inner core exists: this is the nucleation paradox.
Earth‘s Inner Core Shouldn‘t Technically Exist
(February 9, 2018)
„Everyone, ourselves included, seemed to be missing this big problem,“ study author Steven Hauck, a professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, said in a statement. Namely, they were missing „that metals don‘t start crystallizing instantly unless something is there that lowers the energy barrier a lot.“
In chemistry, this extra energy is known as the nucleation barrier: the point at which a compound visibly changes its thermodynamic phase.
(…)
In their paper, the researchers proposed one possibility: Perhaps a massive nugget of solid metal alloy dropped from the mantle and plunged into the liquid core.
Part of Earth’s core has switched directions. And nobody really knows why
(June 11, 2026)
The observation provides new insights into the behaviour of the liquid outer core, which plays a key role in generating Earth’s magnetic field. Without this magnetic shield, the planet would be dangerously exposed to solar radiation.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh checked ground observations and satellite data between 1997 and 2025. They report in The Journal of Studies of Earth’s Deep Interior, that in 2010, a broad region of iron-rich fluid beneath the equatorial Pacific switched from moving weakly westwards to strongly eastwards.
In Israel’s astonishing new reality, voters expect Netanyahu to try to sabotage elections
(June 30, 2026)
The fear that Israel is actually quite close to such a postponement cuts across much of Israeli society. I’ve heard it expressed by secular liberals, military veterans, former intelligence officials, legal scholars, journalists, centrist politicians, and even some conservatives who once supported Netanyahu enthusiastically. What unites them is the growing belief that Netanyahu now considers remaining in power to be an existential necessity — and that his radical base will back him no matter what outrage he attempts.
US Supreme Court: Wo Trumps Macht endet
lIn den USA ist das Gericht nicht nur eine Instanz der Kontrolle von Weißem Haus und Kongress, sondern wird selbst als „dritte Säule der Regierung“ bezeichnet. Seine Entscheidungen haben das Land oft nachhaltiger geprägt als Präsidenten und Abgeordnete.
Das liegt zum einen daran, dass Richter auf Lebenszeit berufen sind und deshalb keine Wahlen fürchten müssen. Zum anderen haben Entscheidungen des Supreme Courts unmittelbar Gesetzeskraft.
Trump says deal with Iran is ‚very close‘
US President Donald Trump has told NBC News that a deal with Iran is „very close“.
“We have a couple of points. They don’t even seem like big points,” Trump said. “They’ve conceded the fact that they will not have nuclear weapons. We had a clause in there that [they] will not develop nuclear weapons. And everybody was very happy with it except me.”
Trump says the U.S. will work with Iran to destroy its uranium if they can make a deal
(June 7, 2026, 1:00 PM GMT)
The two sides are “very close” to signing a pact, Trump said, but he is pushing for Iran to go further in abandoning its nuclear ambitions.
“We have a couple of points. They don’t even seem like big points,” he said. “They’ve conceded the fact that they will not have nuclear weapons. We had a clause in there that [they] will not develop nuclear weapons. And everybody was very happy with it except me.”
Trump said he wanted an additional provision to ensure Iran can’t execute an end run around a deal.
“And I said, ‘Well, what happens if they, not develop, but they go out and purchase, they acquire? I want to put the word, ‘if they buy, purchase or acquire,’” he said. “You know, you’ve got to have that in there, too, because that’s not developing. So, they don’t have the right to develop or purchase, acquire or buy.”
Trump berated Netanyahu? Analysts question US-Israel feud rumours
Analysts say ‘strategic leaks’ aim to influence public perceptions amid diplomatic impasse in US-Israel war on Iran.
Lebanon‘s president says country has ‚no other choice‘ but to continue negotiations
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said that negotiations are „safer than war“, adding that the country has „no other choice“.
„We have seen, and continue to see, the devastation and consequences of war. Negotiations will not solve the problem overnight, but they are a process that takes time, and we have no other choice,“ Aoun told reporters.
Der Krieg um die Wahrnehmung: Wie künstliche Intelligenz beginnt, öffentliche Realität zu formen
Hinzu kommt ein Faktor, der politisch bislang erstaunlich wenig diskutiert wird: KI-Systeme lernen, welche Inhalte besonders starke emotionale Reaktionen auslösen. Angst, Wut, Empörung und moralische Zuspitzung erzeugen Aufmerksamkeit, und Aufmerksamkeit ist die eigentliche Währung digitaler Plattformen. Dadurch entsteht ein Mechanismus, der gesellschaftliche Spannungen systematisch verstärken kann.
Die eigentliche Gefahr liegt dabei weniger in einzelnen Falschmeldungen als in der dauerhaften Veränderung öffentlicher Wahrnehmung. Wenn Menschen permanent mit emotionalisierten, algorithmisch optimierten Inhalten konfrontiert werden, verändert sich schrittweise die Art, wie politische Realität wahrgenommen wird. Komplexe Zusammenhänge werden auf Schlagworte reduziert, Gegner moralisch entwertet, Unsicherheit in Feindbilder übersetzt.
Pentagon chief Hegseth says US blockade on Iran ‚going global‘
„We‘re enforcing the blockade across the board against any ship of any nationality that is transiting to or from an Iranian port or territory,“ Caine said.
„We‘re closely tracking vessels of interest headed towards Iran and those moving away from Iran that were outside the blockade area when this blockade was ordered and … we‘re prepared and postured to intercept them,“ he said.
The U.S. naval blockade on Iran began on April 13.
WATCH: Hegseth calls U.S. war in Iran a ‚gift to the world‘
Watch the full news conference in the video player above.
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Hegseth said the U.S. blockade of Iranian shipping will continue „as long as it takes“ to accomplish America‘s „bold and dangerous“ mission to end Iran‘s threat to global security.
Ex-US general explains why reopening Strait of Hormuz is harder than blocking Iran’s ports
Clark also said that Iran is aware of the strategic value of the Strait of Hormuz in negotiations: “More useful than a nuclear weapon. And they’ve used it,” he said. “And they don’t believe we have an answer for it.”
He added, “They know we don’t want to commit ground troops. They know we don’t want to take losses. We don’t want to get our ships close enough to be hit by their missiles … so this is a real tough military problem. That’s unfortunate because that’s driving their stance in the negotiations.”
In Dead of Night, Johnson Tries—But Fails—to Ram Through Domestic Spying Bill for Trump
In the 228-197 final vote, a total of four Democrats—Reps. Jared Golden of Maine, Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, and Thomas R. Suozzi of New York—joined with all but 25 Republicans who voted to pass a 10-day extension. Twenty GOP members voted against it, while five did not vote.
Ahead of the votes—including on separate versions asking for a 5-year and then 18-month extensions of Section 702—opponents of any clean extension, including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), said anyone opposed to warrantless spying on Americans must vote no.