Seventy years ago today, Germany began its bombing "blitz" that would devastate the city of London. Just in time for the anniversary, here's some rare new color footage of the bombing and its aftermath. Everything was very bomb-y. [AP]

The world's most famous shrinking violet retreats to a secret lair of luxury. Hulk Hogan is rushed to the hospital. Police admit Paris Hilton was "treated differently" in jail. The stars of Tuesday gossip are not like you and me.

You may be interested to learn that despite hundreds of years of history in the Southern U.S., it is not racist to address a grown black man as "boy." No, really! Observe the judicial saga John Hithon has endured.

Can you guess what movie this image comes from? Check back for the answer at 4pm today.

"Birthplace of Hip Hop," 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in The Bronx, is saved from predatory developers.

Not long after getting involved in the Not At Ground Zero Park51 Community Center kerfuffle, Governor Paterson is asking everyone to "step back," chill out and shut up about it — at least during the next week of holidays.

Badass Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who previously served two terms as president, cited Franklin Roosevelt's four terms when he hinted that he may run again in 2012. Regardless of title, Putin still runs the country anyway. [NYT; pic: AP]

Just in case you were tempted to take a dip in the Hudson River off the West Side, think twice.

A new survey on drinking in Britain has revealed some shocking statistics. Would you believe that one third of Britons under 24 "drink to get drunk"? And nearly one fifth of those polled have had a one-night stand? Unbelievable!

In an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Joran Van der Sloot says he extorted money from missing teen Natalee Holloway's parents for the location of their daughter's body, because they "have been making my life tough for five years."

[Looks like someone isn't happy about Craigslist's "censorship" of its "adult services" section. A tipster writes: "Seen at Union Square [in New York City] on Sunday...this guy has to be one of the most honest protesters ever!" Indeed.]

General David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, says nutbar pastor Terry Jones' "Burn a Koran Day" could "endanger troops." Not that Pastor Jones cares! "We are revealing the violence of Islam," he told ABC. What a fun guy.

Ben Percy, Thomas Meadows and Anthony Goshorn are all running for statewide office on the Green Party ticket in Arizona. All three are "street people." And all three were recruited not by the Greens, but by a Republican operative. Huh?

Australia has a government! Two independent MPs pledged support to Prime Minister Julia Gillard, ending two weeks of deadlock.

"To raise awareness about the vulnerability of buildings to terrorism," apparently! So: Now you are aware, that buildings are vulnerable to terrorism. Something else that raised awareness of buildings' vulnerability to terrorism: 9/11. And another thing that helped raise my awareness that buildings are vulnerable to terrorism: Looking at buildings.

[This Hubble image appears to show a dying carbon star—part of a binary star pair—emitting clouds of its outer material in a spiral pattern. As Bad Astronomy's Phil Plait says: "Coooool." Hubble via Bad Astronomy]

Los Angeles has named a new high school of environment science after former vice president Al Gore and author/activist Rachel Carson. And what better way to honor the two great environmentalists than by building the school on a contaminated site?

A new study indicates that psilocybin—which you may know by the "street name" magic mushrooms—can help cancer patients alleviate anxiety and depression some six months after the initial dose. Illegal drugs: Totally good for you!

On the final installation of RHONJ, we heard about the science of weaves and a bunch of apologies. This high school mud sling was interesting-even Kim G. showed up- and included most of the usual drama.

Tropical storm Hermine has made landfall in "extreme northeastern Mexico."