In Orwell's 1984, Winston's job is to rewrite old news to fit the new.

The telescreen announces: the chocolate ration will be cut from 30 grams to 20.

That is 10 grams of 30: a third of the ration gone.

The next day, it thanks Big Brother for raising the ration to 20 grams.

People believe it. Winston wonders if he alone remembers 30.

In February, the Ministry of Plenty had pledged no cut to the ration in 1984.

Winston replaces the pledge with a warning that a cut may come in April.

The original goes down the memory hole, to be burned.

The Ministry had forecast 145 million pairs of boots for the quarter.

The output given was 62 million: 43% of the forecast.

Winston rewrites the forecast to 57 million. Now the plan is overfulfilled: 109%.

Neither figure was true. Perhaps half the population went barefoot.

Change the record, and the past always agrees with the present.