National Geographic’s October Photo Issue features a fascinating collection of pictures from around the world. Not the least of which is its sobering splash of glacial meltdowns from global warming. Photographer James Balog firmly concludes that “climate change is real” – an easily demonstrated fact. As the caption under one photo tells us: “Iceberg-choked Prince William Sound reveals that the retreat of the Columbia Glacier is accelerating. It’s lost two more miles of ice in six years. And since 1980 it has diminished vertically an amount equal to the height of New York’s Empire State Building.” A lead-in to the Meltdown pictorial says mournfully:Glaciers are suppose to advance or retreat at a glacial pace. Now they’re disappearing before our eyes. Unfortunately many of the same gurgling people who have sent the Tea Party class to Congress will vehemently disagree. Can they survive on sea water alone? This time, the waters won’t part. No related stories.