Projections and Perceptions-Editorial Comments. Geography: A Matter of Place

One of the greatest curses and pleasures of my life is being a geographer. The curse? Do you have any idea how many times I am asked to name the capitol of Kentucky (I don't even care) or how many people pick me as their partner in Trivial Pursuit or Jeopardy? The pleasure? Practicing real geography, that is, using and teaching geographical skills to solve real problems and understanding the world around me. More of this later. It always amazes me how a discipline as old and distinguished as geography came to be so misunderstood through the centuries. Granted, there are some who have not succumbed to the terrible simplification of geography which has, for too many, reduced it to a boring recitation of names of places and products and lists of the longest, biggest, highest, etc., ad nauseum.