SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas - Gooey oil blobs as big as basketballs have been washing up on the sandy beaches of South Padre Island in Texas, officials said Thursday.

The Texas General Land Office said it doesn’t know what is causing the tar-like blobs, but authorities were working to clean up the popular tourist destination. Beaches have not been closed.

Crews “scooped out a bunch of tar balls on the beach,” agency spokesman Jim Suydam told The Associated Press. “We’re doing analysis of the currents to track it back to the source as well as collecting some of the tar balls for chemical analysis to see where it came from.”

At least seven 55-gallon drums of oil have been removed since Wednesday morning after tourists began calling in reports of seeing blobs of oil on the beach, Suydam said.

“We don’t know the source. We suspect it’s coming from south of the border,” he said. Texas authorities are in the process of contacting Mexican officials for help pinpointing the contamination, he said.

The spill was first reported at the mouth of the Rio Grande when what appeared to be fresh crude oil began washing ashore. The tar balls affected about one mile of beach from the mouth of the Rio Grande to the town of South Padre Island.

“We are working to quickly clean this up and will take any steps necessary to protect South Padre Island beaches, as well as the South Bay Coastal Preserve,” General Land Office Commissioner Jerry Patterson said in a statement.

South Padre Island, located on the tip of southern Texas, is an internationally known beach destination that is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico and Laguna Madre Bay.

Though the beaches remain open, state officials want people to stay away from the oil blobs. Baby oil can be used to wash the skin if contact with the oil occurs, they said.

Did you know that most of the free-radical fighters in green tea never make it to your bloodstream? But there’s a solution.

To get a better grasp on the healthy catechins in your green tea, flavor your cup with a squeeze of citrus juice.

Green Tea Booster
Catechins — the antioxidants in green tea famous for lowering your risk of chronic disease — quickly lose their power in your intestine. In fact, as much as 80% of the catechins in green tea are never absorbed. The solution to boosting absorption, researchers recently found, is as simple as flavoring your tea with freshly squeezed and strained lemon, orange, lime, or grapefruit juice.

Taking Tea with C
The vitamin C in citrus may help with absorption by increasing the acidity in your small intestine. Other unidentified substances in the juice probably lend a hand, too. Researchers found a 50-50 mix had the greatest catechin-preserving effect, and lemon did it best, closely followed by orange, lime, and, in last place, grapefruit.

It’s Not All Bad News
If you do take steps to boost the power of your green tea, you may even get a few added benefits.

* It may help you lose weight. At least one study shows green tea can stimulate moderate weight loss.
* It may help keep your knees young and strong — catechins fight inflammation and arthritis.
* It can help your skin look great if used in conjunction with an antioxidant cream. Dab it on.
* It can help you stay sharp — try 2 cups a day to see benefits.

T.R. Knight has finally opened up about his departure from “Grey’s Anatomy.”

And while fans may be up in arms over George O’Malley’s impending absence from Seattle Grace, Knight is very comfortable with his decision to walk away from the show after five seasons.

“There just comes a time when it’s so clear that moving on is the best decision,” the actor said in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly.

Knight, who announced he was leaving the show in June, said he was at peace with his decision and said he hopes fans don’t get the wrong idea about why he walked away from the show - and a $14 million contract.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: From Blonde To ‘Grey’ - Katherine Heigl

“From an outsider’s perspective, I get the [impression that] ‘He’s just a spoiled actor…he doesn’t know how good he has it,’” he continued. “There are a lot of people who would like to be in my position. But in the end, I need to be fulfilled in my work.”

Leading to Knight’s unhappiness on the show was the storyline he found surrounding his character in Season 4, when George cheated on his new bride Callie (Sara Ramirez) with his on-screen BFF Izzie (Katherine Heigl), something Knight said he struggled with.

And then in Season 5, when George’s screen time began to dwindle - appearing in only 48 minutes total in the first nine episodes compared to Sandra Oh’s 114 minutes, according to EW, Knight began to feel that his character had “expired.”

Knight also revealed a rift between himself and series executive producer Shonda Rhimes, which he described as a gradual “breakdown of communication” over the years with regards to the future of George O’Malley’s place at Seattle Grace.

“My five-year experience proved to me that I could not trust any answer that was given [about George]. And with respect, I’m going to leave it at that,” he added.

However, it wasn’t just the on-screen developments that led to his ultimate decision to leave. Knight also said it was “IsaiahGate” - when his co-star at the time Isaiah Washington used an anti-gay slur towards Knight - that fueled his disappointment with Rhimes.

In fact, Knight claims she tried to discourage the actor from coming out following Washington’s remarks.

“I think she was concerned about having my statement come out so close to the [initial] event,” he told EW.

However, it’s a claim which Rhimes denied.

“I said, ‘If you want to come out, that’s awesome. We’ll totally support that,’” Rhimes told EW.

But when Knight finally revealed he was leaving the show, his on-screen and off-screen pal Heigl - whose return to the show was also up in the air until it was announced in June that she would be back — initially rejected the idea.

“I didn’t think it was the right decision. I felt like some of the problems could be worked through,” she told EW. “But by the time it came to fruition, I was [glad] for him because he was ready to go.”

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Supporters say the white policeman who arrested renowned black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. in his home is a principled police officer and family man who is being unfairly described as racist.

Friends and fellow officers - black and white - say Sgt. James Crowley, who was hand-picked by a black police commissioner to teach recruits about avoiding racial profiling, is calm and reliable.

“If people are looking for a guy who’s abusive or arrogant, they got the wrong guy,” said Andy Meyer of Natick, Mass., who has vacationed with Crowley, coached youth sports with him and is his teammate on a men’s softball team. “This is not a racist, rogue cop.”

Gates accused the 11-year department veteran of being an unyielding, race-baiting authoritarian after Crowley arrested and charged him with disorderly conduct last week.

Crowley confronted Gates in his home after a woman passing by summoned police for a possible burglary. The sergeant said he arrested Gates after the scholar repeatedly accused him of racism and made derogatory remarks about his mother, allegations the professor challenges. Gates has labeled Crowley a “rogue cop,” demanded an apology and said he may sue the police department.

President Barack Obama elevated the dispute when he said Wednesday that Cambridge police “acted stupidly” during the encounter. Obama stepped back on Thursday, telling ABC News, “From what I can tell, the sergeant who was involved is an outstanding police officer, but my suspicion is probably that it would have been better if cooler heads had prevailed.”

Crowley told a radio station Thursday that Obama went too far.

“I support the president of the United States 110 percent,” he told WBZ-AM. “I think he was way off base wading into a local issue without knowing all the facts, as he himself stated before he made that comment.”

Obama noted that he and Gates are friends, and the sergeant said: “I guess a friend of mine would support my position, too.”

Crowley didn’t immediately return a phone message left by The Associated Press on Thursday.

Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas, in his first public comments on the arrest, said Thursday that Crowley was a decorated officer who followed procedure. The department is putting together an independent panel to review the arrest, but Haas said he did not think the whole story had been told.

“Sgt. Crowley is a stellar member of this department. I rely on his judgment every day,” Haas said. “… I think he basically did the best in the situation that was presented to him.”

But Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, once the top civil rights official in the Clinton administration and now, like Obama, the first black to hold his job, labeled the arrest “every black man’s nightmare.”

The governor told reporters: “You ought to be able to raise your voice in your own house without risk of arrest.”

Those who know the 42-year-old Crowley say he is committed to everyday interests like playing softball and coaching his children’s youth teams.

“I would give him my daughter to coach in a blink of an eye, and I can’t say any stronger opinion than that,” said Dan Keefe, a town parks official who knows Crowley from his work coaching youth swim, softball, basketball and baseball teams.

Crowley grew up in Cambridge’s Fresh Pond neighborhood and attended the city’s racially diverse public schools. Two of his brothers also work for the police department and a third is a Middlesex County deputy sheriff.

For five of the past six years, Crowley has volunteered alongside a black colleague in teaching 60 cadets per year about how to avoid targeting suspects merely because of their race, and how to respond to an array of scenarios they might encounter on the beat. Thomas Fleming, director of the Lowell Police Academy, said Crowley was asked by former Cambridge police Commissioner Ronnie Watson, who is black, to be an instructor.

“I have nothing but the highest respect for him as a police officer. He is very professional and he is a good role model for the young recruits in the police academy,” Fleming said.

Don’t resign yourself to a summer of TV reruns and microwave popcorn. A night at the movies is more affordable than you might think.

Theaters have kept price increases minimal amid the slowing economy, says Richard McKenzie, a University of California, Irvine economist and author of “Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies, and Other Pricing Puzzles.” For example, AMC and Regal Entertainment Group pushed up ticket prices in some areas by just 50 cents each.

The concession stand is where moviegoers are most likely to see price increases, although those are relatively small, as well. “Theaters want to keep the margin on concession items as high as possible, and on tickets, as low as possible,” says Wesley Hartmann, associate professor of marketing at Stanford University. If $7 for a bag of popcorn shocks consumers, they’ll most likely go without. But if ticket prices are too high, they may decide to skip the movie altogether and wait to see “The Proposal” when it comes out on DVD.

On other hand, discount opportunities are just as plentiful as they were last summer, and they can help you cut costs by as much as 70%. Here are nine ways to spend less on a trip to the movies:

Seek Out Freebies

Many theaters offer free showings of family movies during the summer. Regal hosts a Free Family Film Festival every Tuesday and Wednesday morning through the end of August, showing flicks like “The Tale Of Despereaux” and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” Clearview Cinemas’ Kid’s Club kicks off an eight-week series of free movies starting July 2.

Clip Coupons

Your local Entertainment Book typically offers reduced-price movie tickets for as little as $6 apiece. Also, keep your eyes peeled for special promotions. Marriott is offering four free movie passes when you spend a weekend at a participating hotel or resort before Sept. 7.

Head to the Drive-In

If there’s a drive-in in your town, then get behind the wheel. Moviegoers accustomed to state-of-the-art theaters may see these venues as old-fashioned novelties, but most drive-ins show new releases - and at the bargain price of about $7 a person for a double feature, says Jennifer Sherer Janisch, co-creator of Drive-ins.com, an online directory. (The Laurel Drive-In in Hazelton, Pa., for example, is currently showing “The Hangover” and “Taking of Pelham 123″ for $7 per adult and $3 per kid.) Some drive-ins don’t even charge for kids, while others offer bargain per-car pricing. Concession fare is often cheaper, too, Janisch says.

Check Out Independent Theaters

Wait a month or so for new movies to show up at a local independently-owned theater, and you can save more than 70%. The Kleeburg Marketplace Cinemas in Winston-Salem, N.C., is showing features like “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and “Sunshine Cleaning” for just $2.50. Prices at Cinemark Movies 10 in Plano, Texas, range from $1 (early-bird first matinee, which can start as early as noon) to $2 (Friday and Saturday evening showings).

Buy in Bulk

At AMC Theatres, avid moviegoers can buy tickets in increments of 50 for $6 to $7.50 each. The tickets don’t expire. There is one catch, though: the cheaper tickets cannot be used for special engagements (i.e., the first two weeks of a movie’s release). You can also purchase bulk tickets at warehouse clubs. For example, Costco sells a five-pack of Regal tickets that can be used at any showing for $37.50. At a Regal theater in Chicago, that could translate to a savings of up to $12.50.

Avoid Reservation Sites

Go online and you’ll end up paying more for your ticket. Movietickets.com charges a $1 surcharge; Fandango.com tacks on 75 cents to $2, depending on the area.

Trade Up on Snacks

If you’re going to buy popcorn or soda, go big. “Per ounce, the smallest size of popcorn is twice the price of filet mignon,” says McKenzie. Trade up for the larger size and you’re paying less per ounce - plus, many theaters still offer free refills. Although that’s not much of a deal for a solo viewer, larger groups will find it more cost effective than buying snacks individually.

Go at Off Times

Heading to the theater on a Friday or Saturday night is the most expensive time to go. In San Francisco, Cinemark charges an extra 50 cents per ticket on those nights. Theaters are also restricting matinee hours. New York’s AMC Theaters offer matinee pricing ($6 instead of $12.50 for an adult ticket) only before noon.

Be Loyal

Joining the loyalty club at your favorite theater can pay off, even if you don’t go to the movies that often. AMC Theaters’ AMC MovieWatcher Rewards offers coupons for a free small popcorn each week, plus two points per ticket purchased. After you’ve earned 30, you’ll get a free ticket. The Regal Crown Club awards one point per $1 spent. Rack up 150 points and redeem them for a free ticket.

Lately I’m all about what to eat (as opposed to what not to eat) to look and feel great, and I’m also all about enjoying myself on vacation. So this July 4th weekend, go ahead and have that burger, beer, macaroni salad and whatever else is on the menu at your mid-summer fete, and then make the necessary diet adjustments AFTER the party. Here, 6 simple swaps that will help you lose a little water weight and keep calories in check:

1) Season Food Without Salt

Smart Swap: Add zing to your meals with salt-free seasoning blends such as the Original and Italian medley Mrs. Dash instead of salt, salt-based seasonings, and highly processed foods. The reason? You may be attracted to your saltshaker, but water is, too. When you take in higher than usual amounts sodium, you’ll temporarily retain more fluid, contributing to that sluggish feeling, a puffy appearance, and extra water weight. Yuck.
Get your sexy summer body and your confidence back!

2) Thirsty? Stick to plain H20

Smart Swap: There’s nothing like a nice cold carbonated beverage when you’re hot and thirsty but plain old tap water is a better way to stay hydrated-those tingly bubbles just end up in your belly, causing it to puff out more.

Try these simple, belly-flattening beverage alternatives

3) Up the protein, lower the carbs

Smart Swap: Use one slice of whole grain bread for your sandwich at lunch instead of two, and swap snacks like pretzels for nuts or seeds. At dinner, try to stick to lean protein sources and, if you must have a carb, try something made with whole grains like quinoa or brown rice. Unless you’re running a marathon this weekend, loads of high-carb foods like bagels, bread, pasta, pretzels, and cereal will just boost bloat. The science-y reason: as a backup energy source, your muscles store a type of carbohydrate called glycogen, and every gram of glycogen is stored with about 3 grams of water. But unless you have a vigorous exercise routine, you don’t need all this stockpiled fuel. When you decrease the carbs, you’ll temporarily train your body to access this stored fuel and burn it off. At the same time, you’ll drain off excess stored fluids.

Get loads of healthy warm-weather recipes and meal ideas!

4) Cook your veggies

Smart Swap: Eat veggies, just eat them cooked-steaming is quick and easy. Fruit is gorgeous and plentiful right now so indulge in moderation. When you’re trying to watch your weight it may be temping to fill up on a grapes, but if you want a flat belly filling it with all that volume is counter-productive: A half-cup serving of cooked carrots delivers the same nutrition as one cup raw, but it takes up less room in your GI tract. The same goes for fresh fruits: Compare the size of a few grapes to a few raisins. Big difference! While you’re at it skip those notorious gas-causers like broccoli and cauliflower and cook up green beans, mushrooms, and squash-which is bountiful right now anyway.

5) Season food with belly-friendly flavors

Smart swap: some people love their food four-alarm spicy (I’m one of them)! Feel the heat for one night, then lay off the barbecue sauce and garlic for a few days while debloating. Give dishes a flavor boost with in-season fresh or dried herbs like dill, basil, mint, sage, tarragon, and rosemary. You can also use curry powder, lemon or lime juice-all perfect with fish or chicken. Try to avoid Black pepper, nutmeg, cloves, Chili powder, hot sauces, onions, garlic, mustard, barbecue sauce, horseradish, catsup, tomato sauce, vinegar; Spicy foods can stimulate the release of stomach acid, which can cause irritation.

Spice up your dinner with these delicious, 30-minute chicken recipes

6) Satisfy an oral fixation with seeds, not gum

Smart Swap: If you chew gum by habit or just like to bite down on something crunchy, reach for some nuts, like roasted or raw unsalted sunflower seeds. You probably don’t realize this, but when you chew gum, you swallow air. All that air gets trapped in your GI tract and causes pressure, bloating, and belly expansion-none of which are swimsuit-friendly.

JUNEAU, Alaska - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin didn’t wait long to give some hint of what her political life might look like after she leaves office at the end of the month.

After staying out of the public eye for most of Saturday, a day after abruptly announcing she would soon give up her job as governor, Palin indicated on a social networking site that she would take on a larger, national role, citing a “higher calling” to unite the country along conservative lines.

“I am now looking ahead and how we can advance this country together with our values of less government intervention, greater energy independence, stronger national security, and much-needed fiscal restraint,” the former Republican vice presidential candidate wrote in a posting on her Facebook page. Palin’s spokeswoman, Meghan Stapleton, confirmed Palin wrote the entry.

Palin shocked even her closest friends on Friday when she announced she would resign July 26, more than a year before her first term ends. But the controversial hockey mom has not revealed many details of bigger plans and national agenda.

Palin instead cast herself as a victim and blasted the media, calling the response to her announcement “predictable” and out of touch.

“How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; it’s about country,” the statement said. “And though it’s honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now, for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make.”

The abruptness of her announcement and the mystery surrounding her plans have fed widespread speculation. But Palin attorney Thomas Van Flein on Saturday warned legal action may be taken against bloggers and publications that reprint what he calls fraudulent claims.

“To the extent several websites, most notably liberal Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore, are now claiming as ‘fact’ that Governor Palin resigned because she is ‘under federal investigation’ for embezzlement or other criminal wrongdoing, we will be exploring legal options this week to address such defamation,” Van Flein said in a statement. “This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who re-publish the defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, the New York Times and The Washington Post, that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law.”

He also told the Anchorage Daily News that Palin wasn’t in any criminal legal jeopardy.

“I can say definitively I am aware of no criminal investigation whatsoever involving Sarah Palin. Zero,” he said.

The FBI reiterated that claim Saturday, telling the Los Angeles Times for a story Sunday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was not investigating Palin’s activities as governor, a former mayor or in any other capacity.

“There is absolutely no truth to those rumors that we’re investigating her or getting ready to indict her,” Special Agent Eric Gonzalez, the bureau’s Alaska spokesman, said.

Palin has kept a low profile since her sudden announcement Friday at a hastily called news conference at her home in suburban Wasilla, outside Anchorage. All of her public communication since then has been on the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter, or through statements released by her office.

At the same time, Palin informed her spokesman David Murrow early Saturday that someone using the name “exgovsarahpalin” on Twitter was spreading a false rumor that there was to be a party at her suburban home in Wasilla, outside Anchorage. Palin was afraid her home would be mobbed, and security was dispatched, Murrow said.

With only a few weeks before she steps down on July 26, and Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell takes her place, the governor spent the Fourth of July weekend in the state capital, Juneau, but was only spotted briefly on the sidelines of the city’s parade.

She had been invited to ride in a convertible, as she did last year, but never told organizers whether she would attend.

Juneau parade director Jean Sztuk said officials drew up banners in case Palin showed and was willing to take part.

As the last of the parade’s clowns and marching bands headed past her, Sztuk gave up on Palin. “What governor wants to be at the end of the parade?” she asked.

Her low-profile and vague Internet messages left mounting questions about her plans for the future shrouded in mystery. Will she lay the groundwork for a 2012 presidential bid? Will she find a high-profile place in the private sector, maybe on the speech circuit? Will she drop out of the limelight and focus on her five children?

Her constituents, for one, wanted to know, especially in Juneau, where she has struggled to win over residents.

“I think she owes it to Alaskans to tell us why,” said state Sen. Dennis Egan, D-Juneau, the son of Alaska’s first governor, Bill Egan.

Egan, hosting a 50th anniversary statehood ceremony, said he was disappointed Palin decided not to finish out her term, which was scheduled to end in 2010.

“It’s sad she abandoned us at this critical time,” said Egan, who was appointed by Palin to an open seat on the last day of the legislative session in April, after a protracted battle with Senate Democrats.

Palin’s departure can’t come soon enough for Laurel Carlton, a waitress at the Capital Cafe in the Baranof Hotel, where the city’s political movers and shakers meet every morning before walking a few blocks to the Capitol.

“I think she has a game plan that’s not Alaska, and hasn’t been for awhile,” Carlton said.

She noted Palin has a book deal, and seems headed for the national stage.

“If you’re really not going to stay and do your job every day, you should leave anyway, and so the sooner the better so somebody can step in and actually do the job,” Carlton said.

And as far as Carlton is concerned, Palin doesn’t need to explain why she’s leaving.

“We don’t care. We just want her gone,” she said.

Palin, whose popularity in Alaska has waned amid ongoing ethics investigations, gave many reasons for stepping down: She didn’t want to be a lame-duck governor; she was tired of the tasteless jokes aimed at her five children, including her son Trig, who has Down syndrome; she felt she could do more in another, still-to-be-defined role.

Sen. John McCain didn’t rule out a return to politics for his former running mate, saying Saturday he believes “she will continue to play an important leadership role in the Republican Party and our nation.” He gave no other details.

Even Parnell, who plans to run for re-election after finishing out Palin’s term, said he was shocked at first when he learned of his boss’ decision.

“But then as she began to articulate her reasons, I began to understand better,” he said. “And nobody - unless they’ve been in her position and understood what she has gone through and dealt with and who she is as a person - really understands.”