Benedict resigns papacy: 'I am simply a pilgrim'

Benedict is keeping his papal name and white robes, along with the title 'Emeritus Pope,' but he has pledged his loyalty to his successor.

By Frances D'Emilio and Nicole Winfield,?Associated Press / February 28, 2013

Pope Benedict XVI leaves after greeting the faithful from the balcony window of the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, the scenic town where he made his last public blessing as pope and where he will spend his first post-Vatican days, Feb. 28.

Alessandra Tarantino / AP

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As bells tolled and the clock struck 8, the brass-studded wooden doors swung shut Thursday at this palace in the Italian hills, marking an end to Benedict XVI's papacy and the start of his final journey as a "simple pilgrim."

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Capping a day of tearful farewells that included an extraordinary pledge of obedience to his successor, Benedict entered history as the first pope in 600 years to resign ? leaving the Catholic Church in unprecedented limbo and ending a pontificate shaped by struggles to move beyond clerical sex abuse scandals and reawaken Christianity in an indifferent world.

On Benedict's last day, the mood was vastly different inside the Vatican than at Castel Gandolfo, the 17th-century papal retreat set in the hills south of Rome, where he will spend the first two months of his retirement.

At the seat of the popes, Benedict's staff bade the pontiff goodbye in scenes of dignified solemnity, with Swiss Guards in full regalia and prelates kneeling to kiss his papal ring one last time.

A livelier atmosphere reigned in the countryside, with well-wishers jamming the hilltop town's main square, shouting "Viva il Papa!" and waving the yellow and white flags of the Holy See.

Cheers went up as the 85-year-old Benedict stepped out onto the palace balcony and, arms outstretched, declared his papacy was nearing the end.

"I am simply a pilgrim beginning the last leg of his pilgrimage on this Earth," he said. Then giving a final blessing, he declared: "Grazie e buona notte" ? "Thank you and good night" in Italian.

It was a remarkable bookend to a papacy that began on April 19, 2005, with a similarly meek speech delivered from the loggia overlooking St. Peter's Square, where the newly elected Benedict said he was but a "simple humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord."

Over his eight-year papacy, Benedict tried to set the church on a more traditional course, convinced that all the ills afflicting it ? sexual abuse, dwindling numbers of priests and empty pews ? were a result of a misreading of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

His successor is likely to follow in his footsteps, given that the vast majority of the 115 cardinals who will elect the next pope were appointed by Benedict himself and share his conservative bent.

For the time being, the governance of the church shifts to Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the camerlengo, or chamberlain, who along with the College of Cardinals will guide the church and make plans starting Monday for the conclave to elect the 266th leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

One of Bertone's first acts was to lock the papal apartment inside the Vatican. In another task steeped in symbolism, he will ensure that Benedict's papal ring and seal are destroyed.

Benedict's journey into retirement began with a final audience with his cardinals, where he sought to defuse concerns about his future role and the possible conflicts arising from having both a reigning and a retired pope living side-by-side inside the Vatican.

"Among you is also the future pope, whom I today promise my unconditional reverence and obedience," Benedict told the cardinals.

Benedict's decision to live at the Vatican in retirement, wear the white cassock associated with the papacy and be called "emeritus pope" and "Your Holiness," rather than revert back to his birth name, Joseph Ratzinger, has deepened concerns about the shadow he might cast over the next pope.

Benedict has tried to address those worries, saying that he will be "hidden from the world" and live a life of prayer in retirement. On Thursday, he took a step further with his own public pledge to place himself entirely under the authority of the new pope.

Benedict also gave a final set of instructions to the princes of the church who will elect his successor, urging them to be united.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/7s9j-TQKiDM/Benedict-resigns-papacy-I-am-simply-a-pilgrim

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Growing the Business

Medical marijuana

Photo by Cliff DesPeaux/Reuters

Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have now decriminalized or legalized marijuana for at least some purposes. You hear a lot about the conflict between these state laws and the federal statute criminalizing the sale and possession of marijuana. But since the Justice Department isn?t consistently coming after marijuana sellers, the more immediate problem for many of them is federal tax law. ?The federal tax situation is the biggest threat to businesses and could push the entire industry underground,? the leading trade publication for the marijuana industry reports.

Here?s why: Ordinary businesses are taxed by subtracting their business expenses from their gross revenue to arrive at their net income, or profit. That amount is subject to tax. By contrast, sellers of controlled substances?in other words, drugs, including marijuana?are not permitted to deduct any ordinary business expenses other than the cost of the goods they are selling. That?s because of section 280E of the federal tax code, which Congress enacted in the 1980s to punish drug dealers. The provision was largely symbolic for decades, since few drug dealers filed income tax forms. But now, state-licensed marijuana sellers must pay federal taxes not only on their profits but also on the money they spend on salaries, rent, advertising, and all the other expenses related to running a business. In fact, it is conceivable that section 280E could require a business to pay more in tax than its total profits for the year.

I teach tax law, and I have a solution: Marijuana sellers should operate as nonprofit ?social welfare organizations.? To qualify for a federal tax exemption, a social welfare organization must have as its primary purpose the promotion of the common good and general welfare of the people in its neighborhood or community. Currently, many social welfare organizations operate businesses in poor and distressed neighborhoods, providing jobs and job-training for residents and improving the conditions for economic development. For example, Homeboy Industries is a tax-exempt nonprofit that trains and employs former gang members in Los Angeles to work in a bakery, a caf?, and a retail store.

If a state-licensed marijuana seller were to incorporate as a social welfare organization, it could make the case that it planned to operate primarily to improve the conditions of a neighborhood formerly blighted by illegal marijuana sales. The street sale of marijuana is associated with increased violence and property crime in a neighborhood, even if illegal marijuana markets are not as pervasively linked to drug-related violence as markets for harder drugs, An organization that sold marijuana legally at a competitive price in a clean, well-lit storefront could take business away from illicit marijuana dealers. If it also trained and employed neighborhood kids who might otherwise become drug runners, it should easily meet the definition of a social welfare organization. Which would free it from the burden of section 280E.

Some sellers of medical marijuana have tried to avoid section 280E by arguing that they are charities?exempt from income tax under section 501(c)(3)?because they promote health. But the Internal Revenue Service has denied 501(c)(3) status to marijuana sellers, arguing that because of a rule called the ?public policy doctrine,? they can?t qualify as a charity because they exist for a purpose that is illegal or contrary to a well-established public policy.

The tax exemption for social welfare organizations comes from another provision of tax law, Section 501(c)(4). I know of no marijuana seller that has applied for this type of exemption yet, which is a shame, because the public policy doctrine only applies to section 501(c)(3) organizations. Groups that fall under 501(c)(4) are not charities. These social welfare organizations were in the news during the 2012 campaign because?unlike charities?they are permitted to run campaign ads. (Think Karl Rove?s Crossroads GPS, the Koch brothers? Americans for Prosperity, and Barack Obama?s Organizing for Action.) These organizations can?t receive tax-deductible contributions the way charities can, so there are fewer restrictions on the types of activities they can engage in.

I realize that it is counterintuitive to think that an organization whose purpose is illegal under federal law could be recognized by the IRS as tax exempt. The IRS may not go for it. But for the reasons I lay out in more detail in this paper they should. There is no legal reason not to recognize a marijuana seller as tax exempt, so long as it improves a neighborhood blighted by drugs and provides economic opportunities for the kids who live there.

States that legalized marijuana presumably want the neighborhood benefits that come with cutting back on street trade. They also want to raise revenue by taxing marijuana sales. If marijuana sellers were operated as social welfare organizations, they could duck the draconian taxes of section 280E, but states and cities could still collect their own taxes. And the sellers would have a lot more money to pay them.

Eventually, it probably makes sense for Congress to repeal section 280E and treat marijuana sellers the same as any other business. If the states want to legalize and regulate marijuana, the federal government shouldn?t use the tax code to interfere. But until that question is settled, avoiding section 280E by operating as a social welfare organization will allow a neighborhood-based seller to be at the forefront of the legalization experiment?while furthering the interests of the local community. All it takes is a few visionary nonprofit entrepreneurs, and an IRS not afraid to do the right thing.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=8aaf1c0a829e1d6f3e1e645c894846a5

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The story of a man, his wallet, and $800

Three years ago, trash collector Harold Walls lost his wallet, which held $800. It turns out, though, the wallet wasn't really lost?it was on vacation. And thanks to a good Samaritan, Walls finally has it back.

DelawareOnline.com has the full story. Walls had assumed he dropped his wallet while collecting trash one morning. He and his partner retraced their steps. Alas, no luck.

[Related: Man reunited with his dog after 10 years apart]

"I wrote it off, honestly," Walls told DelawareOnline.com of the wallet and money, which he'd planned to use to buy a TV. "Ain't no sense in harping about it or crying over spilled milk. Keep moving."

In 2012, the truck Walls and his partner used was retired by the city and sold at auction to a farmer in Maine. The farmer took apart the bench seat in the truck's cab and, lo and behold, he found the long-missing wallet. The farmer mailed it back to Walls, cash included.

[Related: Couple finds, returns over $11,000 found near Golden Gate Bridge]

"I was real surprised it came back with everything. ... It happens to restore a lot of faith that there are still some good people out there," Walls said.

It also serves as a good reminder: If you're missing something, check underneath the cushions.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/wallet-800-inside-returned-three-years-190359251.html

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Make Yourself At Home With Home Improvement | Thompson Real ...

Home improvement projects provide something for every homeowner, whether it is sprucing up a tired home, or preparing to get the most from a potential sale, there is no end to the benefits available. The article that follows offers terrific advice for anyone wanting to work on their home.

Shop around for the best deals. New flooring is very expensive if you do not shop around for good deals. There are bargain places and discount supply stores that will help.

An easy way to protect walls and floors from marks, and to protect your young children while you?re at it, is to pad furniture with sharp edges. Local retailers should have corner protectors and foam tapes you can use to dull sharp furniture edges or objects that your child is sure to collide with at some point. Tape down wiring to prevent accidents such as tripping over them or even more serious issues.

Before making a home purchase, get a professional to inspect it. By doing this, you do not have to look for everything that needs to be replaced or fixed. An objective professional will provide you with all the necessary information without any argument or haggling to the price of the home.

When you wish to paint a home or just a few walls, then you really need to figure out how many buckets of paint you?ll need. Taking measurements and estimating the cost of supplies is the best way to find out how much a job could cost to do. Take your time, and do calculations the right way.

When you are looking for people to help you with a home renovation project, have several alternates in mind who can help in case there is any problem. It is wise to have a backup plan in place in case something goes wrong. This also holds true in this case.

Home improvement is not just for the professionals on TV. It can be done enjoyably by almost anyone. It might just be a new paint color in your bedroom, or you could go all out and remodel your kitchen, but whatever your choice is will bring not only comfort to your home, but value as well. Get started today by using the tips from this article.

For more real estate info, visit: http://www.latimes.com/classified/realestate/. Home improvement is something that applies to everyone from time to time. There may be different motivations, but every homeowner thinks about home improvement. Regardless of whether it?s for appearance or extra money, home improvement can benefit anybody.

Source: http://thompsonportraitdesign.net/make-yourself-at-home-with-home-improvement

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PTSD symptoms common among ICU survivors

Feb. 26, 2013 ? One in three people who survived stays in an intensive care unit (ICU) and required use of a mechanical ventilator showed substantial post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms that lasted for up to two years, according to a new Johns Hopkins study of patients with acute lung injury.

Because acute lung injury (ALI) -- a syndrome marked by excessive fluid in the lungs and frequent multi-organ failure -- is considered an archetype for critical illness, the researchers suspect PTSD is common among other ICU survivors as well.

"We usually think of PTSD as something you develop if you go to war, are sexually assaulted or suffer a similar emotional trauma," says Dale Needham, M.D., Ph.D., a critical care specialist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and senior author of the study published online in Psychological Medicine. "Instead, it may be as common, or more common, in ICU patients as in soldiers, but it's something many doctors -- including psychiatrists -- don't fully appreciate."

"Physical weakness usually gets better, but these mental symptoms often just linger," says study leader O. Joseph Bienvenu, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins. "We need to pay more attention to preventing and treating PTSD in these patients."

Bienvenu says the unusual thing about PTSD in ICU survivors is that they often experience flashbacks about delusions or hallucinations they had in the hospital, rather than events that actually occurred. Having a life-threatening illness is itself frightening, but delirium in these patients -- who are attached to breathing machines and being given sedatives and narcotics -- may lead to "memories" of horrible things that didn't happen, he adds.

"One woman thought her husband and the nurse were plotting to kill her," Bienvenu recalls.

For the study, the Johns Hopkins team observed 520 mechanically ventilated patients with ALI, recruited from 13 ICUs at four Baltimore hospitals between October 2004 and October 2007. Fifty-three percent survived their hospitalization, and 186 patients had at least one research visit over the subsequent two-year follow-up period.

The researchers found that 66 of the 186 patients (35 percent) had clinically significant symptoms of PTSD, with the greatest apparent onset occurring by the initial, three-month follow-up visit. Sixty-two percent of the survivors who developed PTSD still had symptoms at their two-year visit. Half of this same group was taking psychiatric medications, and 40 percent had seen a psychiatrist in the two years since being hospitalized with ALI.

The researchers also found that patients with depression before hospitalization were twice as likely to develop PTSD, and that those who spent more time in the ICU were more likely to experience symptoms. Those who had sepsis (a severe response to infection) during their ICU stay, and those who were given high doses of opiates, were more likely to develop PTSD as well. Those given corticosteroids while in the ICU were less likely to develop PTSD, though the exact reasons why are unknown.

The delirium often associated with ICU stays and post-ICU PTSD may be partially a consequence of inflammation caused by sepsis. This inflammation may lead to a breakdown in the blood-brain barrier, which alters the impact on the brain of narcotics, sedatives and other drugs prescribed in the ICU.

Bienvenu says patients who have these risk factors need special attention. Simply educating them and their primary care doctors about the increased risk for PTSD would be a step in the right direction, he adds.

Each year, almost 1 million patients in the United States are hooked up to ventilators in an ICU, and 200,000 are estimated to develop ALI, usually as the result of infection. The lungs of healthy people allow the easy exchange of gases to enable oxygen to enter the bloodstream, and carbon dioxide to exit the body. In ALI patients, the normally light and dry lungs become heavy and soggy like a wet sponge.

People with PTSD, a form of anxiety disorder, may feel severely stressed or frightened even when they're no longer in danger. The symptoms fall into three categories: reliving the traumatic experience (flashbacks, nightmares), avoidance (feeling numb, detached, staying away from people and places that serve as reminders of the experience), and hyperarousal (being easily startled, having difficulty sleeping, irritability).

PTSD can impair quality of life and slow patients' recovery from a critical illness, keeping victims from returning to work or performing usual activities of daily life.

Needham, Bienvenu and others at Johns Hopkins are interested in whether changing care in the ICU can reduce the incidence of PTSD. Needham's team has reported on studies showing that early physical rehabilitation for ICU patients can speed and enhance recovery, and he says "psychological rehab" now deserves attention.

One European study looked at the use of ICU diaries, where nurses and family members recorded what was happening with the patients daily while they were in the ICU, sometimes taking photographs. The diaries were then given to the patients a month after leaving the ICU, with phone debriefing from a nurse. The intervention reduced PTSD symptoms by helping patients make sense of their ICU memories, Bienvenu says.

Other Johns Hopkins researchers involved in the study include Jonathan Gellar, M.P.H.; Benjamin M. Althouse, Sc.M.; Elizabeth Colantuoni, Ph.D.; Thiti Sricharoenchai, M.D.; Pedro A. Mendez-Tellez, M.D.; Cheryl R. Dennison, R.N., Ph.D.; and Peter J. Pronovost, M.D., Ph.D.

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Acute Lung Injury SCCOR Grant P050 HL73994 and R01 HL88045).

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/mental_health/~3/N8VUGl7y-8Q/130226081238.htm

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Video: Cardinal accused of mishandling sex abuse cases to take part in conclave

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/newsnation/50945272/

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Cleric resigns after allegations of 'inappropriate' conduct with priests

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's most senior Roman Catholic cleric resigned on Monday following allegations he behaved in an inappropriate way with priests, and said he would not take part in the election of Pope Benedict's replacement.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien said he had tendered his resignation some months ago, ahead of his 75th birthday in March and because he was suffering from "indifferent health".

The Vatican said the pope, who steps down on Thursday, had accepted O'Brien's resignation as archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh.

O'Brien, an outspoken opponent of gay marriage, has been reported to the Vatican over allegations of inappropriate behavior stretching back 30 years, according to Britain's Observer newspaper.

The cardinal, who last week advocated allowing Catholic priests to marry as many found it difficult to cope with celibacy, rejected the allegations and was seeking legal advice, his spokesman said.1

"Looking back over my years of ministry: For any good I have been able to do, I thank God. For any failures, I apologize to all whom I have offended," O'Brien said in a statement, which made no reference to the recent allegations.

He said he would not attend the election next month of a new pope, saying: "I do not wish media attention in Rome to be focused on me - but rather on Pope Benedict XVI and on his successor."

The Observer, which gave little detail on the claims, said three priests and a former priest, from a Scottish diocese, had complained over incidents dating back to 1980.

One said the cardinal formed an "inappropriate relationship" with him while another complained of unwanted behavior by O'Brien after a late-night drinking session.

Last year, O'Brien's comments labeling gay marriage a "grotesque subversion" landed him with a "Bigot of the Year" award from British gay rights group Stonewall.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Michael Holden; editing by Maria Golovnina and Jon Boyle)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/britains-most-senior-roman-catholic-cleric-resigns-112040627.html

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Kim Kardashian: I Always Thought Marriage Came Before Baby

"This is where I probably always should have been ... [marriage] is something I know that we both want in our future, but I don?t have this sense of urgency about it," she says.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/GvPUjvCuQLs/

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My Husband's Mistress

Emily Yoffe

Photo by Teresa Castracane.

Emily Yoffe, aka Dear Prudence, is on Washingtonpost.com weekly to chat live with readers. An edited transcript of the chat is below. (Sign up here to get Dear Prudence delivered to your inbox each week. Read Prudie?s Slate columns here. Send questions to Prudence at prudence@slate.com.)

Q. My Husband Is Mourning His Dead Mistress: Three months ago, the woman who was having an affair with my husband died suddenly from an accident. I found out about the affair only two days after her funeral. I thought she was simply a co-worker and I was wondering why my husband was so disturbed and emotional. He quit his job, saying it was too traumatic to go to work. She was in the early weeks of pregnancy when she died and my husband doesn't know whether he or her husband was the father. So, on top of everything, he's also grieving for a baby which may or may not have been his. I find it extremely difficult to be emotionally supportive when he wakes up at 3 a.m. crying and trembling?yet I don't have the heart to yell at him like I want to. He says she's dead, so there's no reason for me to feel jealous or threatened, and asks for my understanding as he grieves. We've barely talked these last weeks because I don't know how to respond to my husband when he cries and says he misses her and wishes she were here, then also how much he loves me and that he never intended to leave me. I asked him to visit a marriage therapist together and he said he's "not ready" to work on our marriage, and thinks he needs to see a grief therapist instead. Do I need to give him time to mourn the loss of his mistress? Or should I demand he focus on our marriage?

A: You cannot impose a schedule on someone else's grief. So I think you should let your husband fully experience his?alone. If you are being asked to be an understanding source of solace while he mourns the loss of his mistress, a woman who was possibly the mother of his child, then that is an emotional burden that's simply outside the bounds of what one spouse can ask of another. He's told you flat out he can't work on his marriage because he's too torn up about the death of the woman he loved. So I think you should tell him to move out while you each figure out what you want out of your marriage and life. In addition, I hope he is independently wealthy, or has fantastically in-demand professional skills, because quitting his job over her death indicates he's gone off the deep end. I can't imagine how he's going to explain that departure to potential employers. Of course you're reeling over these events, so if he won't see a counselor with you, consider going alone. And you've left us all wondering: Does the grieving widower have any idea what his wife was up to?

Q. Celebration Overload: I have three sons in their late 20s and early 30s. The oldest is married with a young child and my youngest is engaged. Since it has been quite some time since I went through these rituals, I expected them to change. I just didn't expect them to change quite this much. What used to be nice, simple ceremonies have turned into much longer events. My son and daughter-in-law had professional engagement photos taken, numerous bridal showers, a wedding followed by a reception, professional maternity photos taken, a "gender revealing party," a baptism, professional family portraits, and a first birthday party. Frankly, I think this is celebration overload and, in its own way, detracts from the seriousness of these events. I miss the days of one bridal shower, a ceremony in a church, and cake in the church basement. I know how delicate the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship can be, so I have not said a word about these events and attended them all graciously. But the thought of going through this number of events for two more kids is exhausting. Is this just the trend of celebrations now and I should go along with it? How do I graciously be a part of their lives while inwardly cringing at another over-the-top celebration?

A: Your answer is contained in your question. You just graciously celebrate while inwardly cringing. I agree with you, Mom, that a return to contained and modest celebrations is to be much hoped for. This is the second letter I've gotten about the amazing development of the awful gender-reveal party. As I previously asked, what's next, the baby-making party? You have to accept that the days of the DIY wedding are gone. But I agree that turning marriage into the Normandy Invasion (actually, that took less time to plan and launch than most weddings) is an absurd waste of time and money. Let's face it, usually the bride/mother is the driver behind these events, so as a mother of sons, you want to preserve your relationship with your offspring and their wives. So slap on a smile and be grateful to be included.

Q. Mean Girls: My cousin and I are both in our 40s and grew up together. We live a good distance away, but every few months, my work takes me near her house and I'll visit and stay overnight. Her two children, who are their early teens, are horrible to her. In the few hours I'm there, they insult her looks, her cooking, and her intelligence. First it was the older one, and now her younger sister is doing the same. It seems like anything that comes of out of my cousin's mouth warrants a snide retort from one child or the other. Her husband is part (or the cause) of the problem. He says nothing when they make their comments and occasionally will "joke" along the same lines. Sometimes I will wade in with a neutral comment like "I think dinner is great. If you don't like it, why you try cooking next time?" but that's it. She says nothing to defend herself; occasionally she might protest with a "that's not nice" but it's very mild. I can tell, though, that she's hurt by these remarks. My cousin is a quiet and kind person who has never had a bad word to say about anyone. I am appalled by this developing dynamic. I know teenagers can be trying, but this behavior seems off the charts compared to other kids I've known. I really want to say something to these children, not just for my cousin's sake, but also because they're becoming very mean girls. I feel they're now old enough to be addressed as the young women they're becoming and understand the implications of their actions. But, is it my place (as a family member) and what would I say if I did take them aside?

A: I think you should first talk to your cousin. It's true that most teenagers will test the boundaries of civility and the safest place for them to do it is in their home. But in their home the adults are supposed to explain what is and isn't acceptable behavior. Given the husband's contribution, it also sounds as if a malicious family dynamic is at play here: Martyr mom does everything for us, and in exchange she earns our contempt. Next time you know you'll be in town, tell your cousin she needs a night off and you'd like to take her out to a restaurant for a chance to get some adult time. Then tell her gently but firmly what you've observed. She may be too sunk into this mess to act, but sometimes an outsider's perspective can suddenly shine a mirror on a situation. Then next time you do eat at their house, you should feel free to be more direct to the girls. When they insult their mother, in a neutral tone say, "That's a rude thing to say. Your mother is my friend, so just as I hope you would stick up for a friend who was being treated terribly, I'm going to ask you to stop insulting her."

Q. Re: Celebration Overload: It's not always the bride who wants this huge lavish event. I may be one of few, but I didn't have a bridal shower. We didn't want a religious wedding that could take longer, but my mother-in-law demanded it. My mother and I aren't close so I didn't give in to what she wanted; however, I wanted to make my mother-in-law happy so we caved to whatever she wanted. My husband and I both agree that the wedding is actually about the parents of the groom and bride, and not the actual couple getting married. Please know that the bride may just be railroaded into doing what someone else wants.

A: Ah, no, the wedding is about the couple getting married. It's true that people who foot the bill can make demands. But if you are being railroaded into doing things you don't want to do, then you say no and decline the money. I hope you and your husband can start standing up for yourselves now, before you come to the conclusion that raising your children is really about what the grandparents want.

Q. Husband's Night Terrors: My husband has a pretty good life. He was raised by nice parents, enjoys good physical health, has a job he likes, we have a happy marriage, he has friends and, as far as I know, has never been the victim of any kind of serious crime or trauma. Nevertheless, he wakes up, at a minimum of one night a week, screaming, thrashing, and terrified. It's as if he has PTSD. With our first child expected in a few months, these night terrors have become an almost every-night occurrence, and it's fraying my nerves and causing me to lose sleep. I'm worried about him, although during the day he's one of the happiest people I've ever met. It would seem odd to tell a therapist, "I'm happy and have no real problems, but I have night terrors."

A: I doubt he needs a therapist, but he certainly needs an M.D. First he needs to check in with his internist and explain what's going on. Then if a further diagnosis is needed, he needs to see a sleep specialist. It surely sounds as if he has some kind of sleep disorder and likely it's treatable. Convince him to do this right way before the baby comes and his crying and thrashing is just part of the general background noise.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=855bf1df28a17da1e8f786a126087905

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New look at high-temperature superconductors

Feb. 25, 2013 ? While the phenomenon of superconductivity -- in which some materials lose all resistance to electric currents at extremely low temperatures -- has been known for more than a century, the temperature at which it occurs has remained too low for any practical applications. The discovery of "high-temperature" superconductors in the 1980s -- materials that could lose resistance at temperatures of up to negative 140 degrees Celsius -- led to speculation that a surge of new discoveries might quickly lead to room-temperature superconductors. Despite intense research, these materials have remained poorly understood.

There is still no agreement on a single theory to account for high-temperature superconductivity. Recently, however, researchers at MIT and elsewhere have found a new way to study fluctuating charge-density waves, which are the basis for one of the leading theories. The researchers say this could open the door to a better understanding of high-temperature superconductivity, and perhaps prompt new discoveries of higher-temperature superconductors.

The findings were published this week in the journal Nature Materials by assistant professor of physics Nuh Gedik; graduate student Fahad Mahmood; Darius Torchinsky, a former MIT postdoc who is now at the California Institute of Technology; and two researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Explaining the basis for high-temperature superconductivity remains "the hardest problem in condensed-matter physics," Gedik says. But one way of getting a handle on this exotic state of matter is to study what happens to these materials near their "transition temperature," the point below which they become superconductors.

Previous experiments have shown that above the transition temperature, there is a peculiar state where, Gedik says, "the material starts to behave very weirdly": Its electrons act in unusual ways, which some physicists believe is caused by a phenomenon called charge-density waves. While the electron density in most conductors is uniform, Gedik explains, in materials with charge-density waves the density is distributed in a sinusoidal pattern, somewhat like ripples on a pond. But so far, such charge-density waves have only been detected in high-temperature superconductors under special circumstances, such as a particular level of doping (the introduction of atoms of another element onto its surface).

Some researchers have proposed that these waves are elusive in high-temperature superconductors because they fluctuate very rapidly, at speeds measured in picoseconds (trillionths of a second). "You can't see it with conventional techniques," Gedik says.

That's where Gedik's new approach comes in: His team has spent years perfecting methods for studying the movement of electrons by zapping them with laser pulses lasting just a few femtoseconds (or quadrillionths of a second), and then detecting the results with a separate laser beam.

Using that method, the researchers have now detected these fluctuating waves. To do this, they have selectively generated and observed two different collective motions of electrons in these waves: variation in amplitude (the magnitude of modulation of the waves) and in phase (the position of the troughs and peaks of the waves). These measurements show that charge density waves are fluctuating at an interval of only about 2 picoseconds.

"It's not surprising that static techniques didn't see them," Gedik says, but "this settles the question: The fluctuating charge-density waves do exist" -- at least in one of the cuprate compounds, the first high-temperature superconducting materials discovered in the 1980s.

Another question: What role, if any, do these charge-density waves play in superconductivity? "Are they helping, or are they interfering?" Gedik asks. To answer this question, the researchers studied the same material, with optimal doping, in which the superconducting transition temperature is maximized. "We see no evidence of charge-density waves in this sample," Gedik says. This suggests that charge-density waves are probably competing with superconductivity.

In addition, it remains to be seen whether the same phenomenon will be observed in other high-temperature superconducting materials. The new technique should make it possible to find out.

In any case, detecting these fluctuations could help in understanding high-temperature superconductors, Gedik says -- which, in turn, could "help in finding other [superconducting materials] that actually work at room temperature." That elusive goal could enable significant new applications, such as electric transmission lines that eliminate the losses that now waste as much as 30 percent of all electricity produced.

David Hsieh, an assistant professor of physics at Caltech, says the phenomena detected by this research "are known to be very difficult to detect," so this work "is a great technical achievement and a high-quality piece of research." By showing for the first time that the fluctuating charge-density waves seem to compete with superconductivity, he says, "It provides the insight that finding a way to suppress this fluctuating charge-density wave order may simultaneously increase" the temperature limits of superconductivity.

The work, which also included researchers Anthony Bollinger and Ivan Bozovic of Brookhaven National Laboratory, was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Darius H. Torchinsky, Fahad Mahmood, Anthony T. Bollinger, Ivan Bo?ovi?, Nuh Gedik. Fluctuating charge-density waves in a cuprate superconductor. Nature Materials, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nmat3571

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/physics/~3/x7qwWGOeVnU/130225102555.htm

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Mozilla CEO Kovacs Pleads For Fragmentation; Says Fate Of Our Mobile World Can?t Depend On Just Two Companies

Gary Kovacs, the CEO of Mozilla, today took aim at Apple and Google -- or possibly Apple and Samsung; you can take your pick about how you parse mobile dominance -- and made a impassioned call for the mobile world to remain competitive. At a keynote during the Mobile World Congress this week in Barcelona, he said companies needed to resist consolidation when it comes to offering mobile services to the four billion consumers that are expected to be mobile users in the next several years.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/9zRXPf94cNE/

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