I took a quick photograph of this globe located here. One point to note is that "here" (Ellsworth, Maine) was not where "us" is located. Is "us" there temporarily or is that where "us" longs to be? "Us" is a funny word to use rather than the standard "you are here" phrase, or star or arrow because it is never effective if the globe travels elsewhere. "Us" becomes as obselete as the changing borders and names of countries on the globe the moment it is marked. All of a sudden "us" becomes "them" and the current viewers are excluded. How odd to call someone "us" when it does not include you or me. Of course "us" is also the abbreviation of the USA which makes the equation far more complex (and not without a fair dosage of ego).
Anyway... I've been thinking of this globe and comparing it to the necessity for people to mark their territory - not unlike the need for some people to write in the margins of books. More globes to come... I've collected many since the past two installments.
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