Time is an illusion – at least in a toy model of the universe made of two particles of light. The experiment shows that what we perceive as the passage of time might emerge from the strange property of quantum entanglementMovie Camera. The finding could assist in solving the long-standing problem of how to unify modern physics.

Physicists have two ways of describing reality, quantum mechanics for the small world of particles and general relativity for the larger world of planets and black holes. But the two theories do not get along: attempts to combine their equations into a unified theory produce seemingly nonsensical answers. One early attempt in the 1960s was the Wheeler-DeWitt equation, which managed to quantise general relativity – by leaving out time altogether.

"It means that the universe should not evolve. But of course we see evolution," says Marco Genovese at the National Institute of Metrological Research in Torino, Italy.

In 1983 theorists Don Page and William Wootters suggested that quantum entanglement might provide a solution to the Wheeler-DeWitt "problem of time"Movie Camera. When quantum objects are entangled, measuring the properties of one changes those of the other. Mathematically, they showed that a clock entangled with the rest of the universe would appear to tick when viewed by an observer within that universe. But if a hypothetical observer existed outside the universe, when they looked in, everything would appear stationary.
Photon clock

For the first time, Genovese and colleagues have demonstrated this effect in a physical system, albeit in a "universe" that contains only two photons. The team started by sending a pair of entangled photons along two separate paths. The photons start out polarised, or orientated, either horizontally or vertically, and the polarisation rotates as both photons pass though a quartz plate and on to a series of detectors.

The entangled photons exist in a superposition of both horizontal and vertical states simultaneously until they are observed. But the thicker the plate, the longer it takes the photons to pass through and the more their polarisation evolves, affecting the probability that either one will take a particular value.

In one mode of the experiment, one of the photons is treated like a clock with a tick that can alternate between horizontal and vertical polarisation. Because of entanglement, reading this clock will affect the polarisation value of the second photon. That means an observer that reads the clock influences the photons' universe and becomes part of it. The observer is then able to gauge the polarisation value of the other photon based on quantum probabilities.

Since photons passing through a thicker quartz plate experience a different degree of change, repeating the experiment with plates of different thicknesses confirms that the second photon's polarisation varies with time.

In another mode, the experimenter is a "super-observer" that exists outside of the universe, and so measures the quantum state of the system as a whole. From that vantage point, the state of both photons taken together is always the same, giving the appearance of a static universe.
Quantum cosmos?

"It's very nice these people have done an experiment to illustrate this effect and show how in practice it can occur," says Page, who is now at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.

But not everyone thinks the Wheeler-DeWitt equation is the correct route to unification of the quantum and classical worlds, says Lee Smolin at the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. "They have verified in the context of a laboratory system that quantum mechanics is working correctly," he says. But Smolin argues that any correct description of the universe must include time.

Genovese acknowledges that the result does not cinch the issue. Instead, he sees the work as a hint that quantum equations can in some ways mesh with general relativity, offering hope for a unified theory. The next step will be moving beyond the toy universe and seeing whether a similar effect scales up to explain what we see on a cosmic level.

"It's a visualisation of the phenomenon, it's not a proof," Genovese says of the experiment. "You should look to the universe itself for that."

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Emma Thompson has said that dancing with Prince Charles is "better than sex".

Thompson made the comment in a Time magazine feature on the 64-year-old heir to the British throne, News.com.au reported.

The article also revealed that the Prince of Wales staged a dress rehearsal to teach Prince William the intricacies of hosting an investiture, and it included a sword being sent especially from London.

Charles held the trial run for William during a family holiday at Birkhall in Scotland last month, ahead of William's first investiture ceremony last week at Buckingham Palace.

The heir to the throne taught his son how to dub a new knight with a blade and the training proved successful, as the ceremony apparently passed off without any problems.

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 Mural artist and sculptor Rouble Nagi's latest installation titled, Lovers, has recently been installed here in the capital. It has been carved out of a single piece of marble, and took Rouble more than eight months and weighs approximately five tons.
Rouble explains her sculpture, saying, "I always make my initial designs from clay, create a form and hold it against the sky, this way, I can imagine it in any size and always be in control. While creating any large sculpture I always feel that my audience must think creating something like this is nearly impossible. Sculptures look the best in open air landscape.

My subject is my emotion, and I believe that paintings are more poetic and sculptures more realistic and logical. To evoke emotions in an audience through sculptures is the most difficult thing to do. All my recent projects have been large and required me to work with new medium and all of them weigh over a ton."
Rouble has recently made marble, glass and metal installation for private clients in Delhi, Mumbai and Punjab. She also adds that these days, people are looking at other forms of art, which is a good sign for the artist as he is free to experiment with different mediums. Rouble is now working on an eight ton stainless steel sculpture. It will be ready by December, and is for a client in Abu Dhabi.

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 Good domestic help is an endangered species in Gurgaon, and the city's households are a battleground of fiercely protecting or stealing that perfect maid!

Yes, in Gurgaon, it's tough to find a maid who understands and suits all your needs. But once you find the perfect domestic help, it's even tougher to retain them because friends and neighbours want to get their hands on them. Employers will go to any extent to protect their maid from 'poachers' who might lure them with more pay or perks. Conversely, they'll also go to extremes to steal one. A comment in an online forum in Gurgaon summed up the fight - 'Stealing another woman's husband is rude, but to steal their maid is unforgivable'. Here's how Gurgaon women protect, or poach, their domestic goddesses.

How not to lose your maid to your friends

"I make sure my friends never meet my maid. If I host a kitty party, I send her out. A party is when you need your maid the most, but I don't want to take chances. I have her do all the preparation before my friends arrive, and then I send her to watch a movie. For her, it's kind of a reward, but for me, it is to make sure that my friends don't communicate with her and offer her more than what I pay her," says Ritu Singh, a homemaker in Sushant Lok Phase 1. And what if friends drop in unannounced? "I don't leave my maid alone. Even if she is serving them, I make sure I'm present. I don't allow her to answer questions from my friends, rather, I promptly answer on her behalf," she replies.

It may be complicated to deal with friends, but it's easy to shrug off strangers trying to be over-friendly with your maid, says Priyanka*. "I work in a bank and don't have much time to keep an eye on my maid - kaun usse baat karta hai, etc. But when I'm with her, I make sure no stranger approaches her. Once, we were at a mall, and a lady started talking to my maid. She was asking her about her salary and what work she does. I rushed over and asked the woman, 'what's your problem?'. I know I was rude, but I could see my maid getting influenced," she adds.

For Prarthana Verma, a homemaker in DLF Phase IV, her maid is indeed more precious than her husband. "I know my husband won't be able to find a wife like me, so I'm not insecure about him. But my maid can definitely find a better place. She has been working for us for 10 months, so she understands all my needs. I just can't let her go. It is next to impossible to find a maid and then adjust with her." So, Verma never allows her maid to go to any store in her locality alone. "A department store is where all the maids meet; their employers also meet other maids there. The store owner also keeps asking maids about their pay. They sometimes offer the maids work in their store, or at a neighbour's place who has asked them to find a maid. So, my maid is always accompanied by my five-year-old son, who'll tell me everything - who met her, who asked what. Or I accompany her."

How to poach a friend's maid

Despite your best efforts, maids do get stolen by persistent poachers. Suneeta Kumar*, a resident of Sushant Lok Phase 1, says, "I poached my friend's maid. Of course, after that, we are not as great friends as we used to be." How did she do it? Says Kumar, "I asked my friend to send her maid for an hour to help me, and discovered that she was very keen to learn new things, would keep herself clean and would prefer cleanliness around. I offered her work, but she said she can't work full time at two places. So, I gave her more attractive offers - more than four days off a month, a separate room, and a hike of `2,000." "I got my maid from my neighbours. I just made her realize she was working too much. I'd tell her, 'mere ghar itna kaam nahi hota'. Main jab bhi usse milti, yahi bolti - tujhse kitna kaam karwate hain, main toh aadhe kaam khud kar leti hoon. I asked her after a month if she was interested. She readily agreed! When she was leaving, my neighbours came and had an argument with me about how I could take away their maid. They made a proper scene," said Akanksha*, who stays at Sohna road.

For some maids, loyalty triumphs over lucrative offers

There will be some maids who won't be swayed by greener pastures. "My maid has got several offers of a bigger salary from my neighbours, but she didn't go. She even comes and tells me about offers made to her. I know it will be hard for her to leave us because we treat her like family. I know if I don't treat her well, she won't take proper care of my daughter. So, I make sure that I appreciate her work," says Shikha Nanda, office manager at Costa Coffee India.

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Many young gals coming from Talukas and districts around Nagpur indulge in the oldest profession in the world when they come to the city to study or work

Till now, the Nagpurians had tagged Ganga Jamuna red light as the dwelling arena of the commercial sex workers, having shut their hearts, minds and eyes to their professional and personal lives. But, many of you will be now be shocked to know that there are hundreds of young, middle-class girls coming to Nagpur from nearby places like Wadi, Hingna, Kalmeshwar and Kamptee on the pretext of pursuing their education or career opportunities and selling sex for money. We trace this murky trail...

Playing Ms Jekyll and Hyde
"Most of these girls lead double lives and make their families believe that Nagpur is the destination of their dreams," says Varsha Pagale, the project manager of a city-based NGO, who's working for the eradication of HIV/AIDS among the non-brothel sex workers in the city. She adds: "Most of these girls are in the age-group of 18-25, and contrary to popular myth, not all of them are from stark poor homes. Of course, there are some, who get mired in this muddy terrain because of poverty, but there are many who are from decent middle-class homes, and indulging in this, to earn extra moolah. We are counselling quite a few students of nursing, Arts, Commerce and Science, who have got involved in prostitution."

Money matters!
It is the lure of the lucre that plays a major role in attracting these small-town girls, says Varsha, and adds: "Since these students are young, they get good money from their clients, which are solicited either directly or through their brokers. Each girl has more than six-seven SIMs and they keep changing their numbers. Each girl earns almost 6000 to 10,000 per night. And on hourly basis, their charging rates are 1500 to 2000, depending upon the client. On an average, each girl indulges in paid sex at least twice a week. So, in a month, they rake in plenty of moolah."

Expensive tastes
"In some of the cases, a part of this money is spent on their families, but in most of the cases, it is blown on expensive mobiles, la-di-dah makeup, accessories and smart new wardrobes. Almost all these girls drink like fish and live under the illusion of being as smart and trendy as their mini-metro brethren, informs Varsha. She goes on to add: "We have registered data base of 3000 non-brothel commercial sex workers, and out of these, almost 70 per cent are students. Others are young girls, who are supposedly working in different organisations in Nagpur and indulging in commercial sex during the working hours. The parents are blissfully unaware about the true nature of their work or education."

I tried everything else, but failed...
Kamptee girl Ketaki (name changed) tells us how she entered prostitution...
My family thinks that I'm studying part-time in a college in Kamptee and I visit Nagpur for my projects etc. But, they don't know that I'm involved in prostitution to run our home. When my father died four years back, my mother started working in a glass factory in Kamptee. But soon, her health deteriorated and the onus lied on me to keep the kitchen fires burning, as I'm the oldest of the three siblings. I tried working in a hospital and later in a computer centre, but the money was just not enough! Moreover, because of my good looks, I faced sexual harassment there. Finally, I took to prostitution when everything else failed. Now, I'm earning decent amount and educating my two younger siblings too. But, deep within, there is a dream hidden in my heart that someday a young prince will come and steal me away from this murky world and will take care of my family as well.

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But, reality speaks a different story. Instead of spending on those branded shampoos and conditioners, Dr. Sandeep Suttar - Hair Restoration and Skin Rejuvenation surgeon at Hairrevive, Mumbai, shares some natural ways to get great hair. Follow these easy and simple steps to give that luster and shine to your hair, and flaunt your hair like the models do...

Egg treatment

Use the entire egg to condition your hair. If you have dry or brittle hair, use egg whites to moisturize your hair. Use ½ cup of any egg mixture (egg white, entire egg) and apply to clean, damp hair. Leave it for 20 minutes and rinse with cool water.

Cleanliness is important

The most important reason for hair fall is dandruff and itchy scalp. Therefore, maintain good cleanliness for beautiful and healthy hair.

Avoid hot water

Skip hot water showers, because hot water will make your hair dry and brittle as it strips protective oils from your hair - says Dr. Suttar. Thus, prefer a temperature which is just a bit warmer than your body temperature.

Bottle gourd treatment

Extract some bottle gourd juice and apply it into your hair. Keep this solution for half an hour and wash it off thoroughly.

For that shiny soft hair

Prepare a mixture of 1 cup of your daily conditioner and 2-3 tablespoons of honey. Apply this mixture evenly on your wet hair. Leave it for 30 minutes and wash it off thoroughly. This mixture will close down your hair's cuticle and give your hair that amazing shine.

Baking soda therapy

Make a mixture of 3 tbsp. of baking soda and some water. Rinse your hair with this solution after shampooing. Let it set in for at least 5 minutes before the final rinse. This therapy will help to remove the excess shampoo and styling product from your hair.

For bouncy hair

Apply a one to one mixture of warm water and apple cider vinegar to your hair. Rinse it thoroughly after 5 minutes to get rid of the apple cider smell.

Don't wash your hair frequently

Wash your hair every 2-3 days, for proper regulation of natural hair oils. Washing your hair less often will also help regain your hair's natural body and luster.

Make your conditioner

For a protein packed conditioner, mix eggs and yogurt and rub it into your scalp. Leave on for five or 10 minutes, and then wash it off completely.

For strong hair

Use almond oil to treat dry and damaged hair. It is a very simple procedure, pour some almond oil in a bowl and heat it for 40 seconds. Then evenly distribute on your hair. Leave it for 30 minutes and then rinse normally with shampoo and conditioner using cold water.

Say bye-bye to dull hair with lemon juice

After the final rinse, apply 1 tsbp lemon juice to your hair. Simply towel dry your hair and style as normal to get rid of dry hair.

Use protection before you jump into the pool

Pools can do great damage to your hair as it contains harsh chemicals - says Dr Suttar. He says; prevent your hair from the pool damage by simply applying a little conditioner to your hair before you swim. This will protect your hair before it comes in contact with the pool water.

Treat sun damaged hair

Make a mixture of ½ cup honey, 1-2 tbsp olive oil and 1-2 tbsp of egg yolk. Apply this mixture on your hair for 20 minutes and then rinse with warm water. This treatment will help to replenish keratin protein bonds - says Dr. Suttar.

Tight is NO-NO

To prevent breakage due to brittle hair avoid using bands and do not tie your hair too tightly.

The proper brushing technique

Avoid using a comb with plastic bristles to prevent hair breakage from static electricity. The best way to brush your hair is by first brushing the ends to remove tangles and then take the long stokes from the roots of the hair to the ends. This technique will help proper spreading of natural hair oil and thus prevent breakage.

Moisturize your hair

Pour a little beer in your wet hair. Distribute evenly and massage your scalp with your fingers for 20 minutes. Then rinse it thoroughly to get rid of the beer smell. Do this procedure once a week for salon smooth hair. Dr. Suttar says- it is recommended that people with sinus and cold should avoid using this treatment.

Trim your hair regularly

Get your hair trimmed at least every six weeks to eliminate dry, split ends.

Do not brush wet hair

Wet hair is three times weaker and thus more likely to break - says Dr. Suttar. He recommends, towel dry your hair first and then gently detangle your hair using a wide tooth comb.

Let your hair air-dry

Allow your hair to dry by itself instead of using a blow-dryer or hot rollers. Using this artificial mode of drying technique will make your hair more brittle and dry. If you have no time to let your hair air dry, then use blow-dryer sparingly and make sure you use a warm setting instead of a hot setting.

Good diet

Drink lots of water and eat a healthy diet of raw fruits and vegetables. The most effective home treatment for hair care is a healthy diet. You are what you eat, and what you put into your body will be reflected on the outside.

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Nails care
Looking good isn't just about wearing good or fancy clothes. It's about being well groomed as well. Nail care should be an important and essential part of your beauty regimen. Today, nail art is a growing industry with thousands of takers.

And nail art is no longer an expensive process — it is reasonable affordable. One tip that you must remember is that whether you have long or short nails, always keep them clean. Add some colour to your rainy days by opting for bright colours or jazz up your nails with some pretty floral or animal prints. Glitter and diamond stick-ons are some other options. Go in for monthly manicures and pedicures.

Hair care
It is never too late to give yourself a new look. Dark colours are in vogue just now. Go on for a dual colour tone, where the darker colour is underneath and a lighter colour covers the crown area or vice versa. Side step bangs or fringes are also much in demand as are hair extensions.

Body care
Using an alcohol free cleanser, water based cosmetics and makeup unless you have very dry skin. Don't wait for a special occasion to get your face and back polished. Go in for treatments every three to four months — they clean your skin and give it an unblemished, polished look. Your skin needs water to glow, so keep yourself hydrated. Green tea is another great way to keep your skin and body healthy. Ensure that you also eat a healthy diet and eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

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