Whip

As the country grapples with its worst economic downturn in decades and persistent unemployment, voters in Oklahoma next week will take up another issue ? whether they should pass a constitutional amendment outlawing Sharia, or Islamic law. Supporters of the initiative acknowledge that they do not know of a single case of Sharia being used in Oklahoma, which has only 15,000 Muslims. "Oklahoma does not have that problem yet," said Republican state Rep. Rex Duncan, the author of the ballot measure, who says supporters in more than a dozen states are ready to place similar initiatives before voters in 2012.

Months of sun, surf and chlorine can wreak havoc on even the healthiest of hair, making it brittle, faded and lifeless. In California, we face these conditions year-round, but hair can take more of a beating in the summer, when people tend to spend even more time outdoors. The good news: With a little help from an expert and a couple of at-home treatments, you can whip your weather-beaten hair back into shape. Here are our five top tips for beautiful fall hair. Get a protein treatment At the end of summer, hair feels dry and brittle and a protein treatment can do wonders.

Hope and change. Those familiar political themes will echo around United Airlines over the next month as Jeff Smisek, the airline's new chief executive, embarks on a barnstorming tour aimed at winning over employees and customers of the sprawling airline. Expectations are riding high for the new United, which boasts an unparalleled global network by dint of its merger with Continental Airlines. Smisek, 56, who was Continental's CEO, envisions a carrier whose service and teamwork are unmatched.

"Break the Whip" Where: The Ivy Substation, 9070 Venice Blvd. Culver City When: 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Ends Nov. 13 Admission: $15 to $25 Contact: http://www.theactorsgang.com or (323) 962-3759

To begin with, there was a reading assignment. Tim Robbins, actor and founder of the Actors' Gang, had long admired "A People's History of the United States," the 1980 revisionist history book by the late Howard Zinn that tells America's story from the perspective of have-nots rather than big shots. Robbins asked all 60 or so Actors' Gang members to read its sections on Christopher Columbus, Jamestown and pre-revolutionary Boston; then they began to explore the dramatic possibilities in a series of workshops last summer that he hoped would point toward a play.

For all the Californians who thought they'd cornered the market on healthy living, meet Michael Bloomberg, the 108th mayor of New York. Since he took charge, the city has pioneered a raft of regulations to get its citizens to be healthier — or at least realize they're slowly killing themselves. The 68-year-old billionaire's campaign against death-by-preventable-disease has also spearheaded a national movement. On his watch, the city banned cigarettes in bars, put fresh produce in poor neighborhoods and went after trans fats like they were deadbeat dads.

The money involved is not very much, nickels and dimes in a $6.6-billion welfare budget. But it's our money, and those people are blowing it on blackjack and lap dances. That's why the $4.8 million doled out to welfare patrons in gambling parlors and strip clubs has created such a buzz in Sacramento. Politicians are up in arms over Times reporter Jack Dolan's reports that welfare recipients have been using their state-issued debit cards to withdraw cash from ATMs in tribal casinos, poker houses and strip clubs.

BOSTON -- If he so chooses, Paul Pierce could Tweet some taunts about a sweep and not blame hackers for it this time. The Celtics moved one victory away from fulfilling Pierce's tainted Tweet -- "Anybody got a BROOM?" -- with a dominating 94-71 victory over the Magic on Saturday night at raucous TD BankNorth Garden. It was their sixth consecutive triumph in the NBA playoffs. Game 4 is scheduled for Monday night, which gives the Magic two days to orchestrate a search party and find the missing offense of Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis.

The California Strawberry Festival, an annual celebration on California's "Strawberry Coast," will offer music, arts and crafts, cooking demonstrations and, of course, those wonderfully sweet and colorful berries. More than 8,000 pounds of berries will be covered in whipped cream and poundcake for the "Build Your Own Strawberry Shortcake" event or you can meet the delightful Berryfest Princess of Strawberryland. All proceeds go to charity. Strawberry Meadows of College Park, 3250 S. Rose Ave., Oxnard.

Reporting from Pittsburgh -- The cosmos appeared to be conspiring against Chad Billingsley again. His first start of the season fell on a day when the Dodgers rested five of their regular starters. Weather services forecast rain. And in the fifth inning, a situation called for pitching coach Rick Honeycutt to visit the mound. Then, a miracle. Manager Joe Torre emerged from the dugout instead. Several words and a few nods later, Billingsley struck out Ryan Doumit to leave men stranded on first and second.