Index: wp-includes/category.php
===================================================================
--- wp-includes/category.php	(revision 21787)
+++ wp-includes/category.php	(working copy)
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
  * @param string|array $args Optional. Change the defaults retrieving categories.
  * @return array List of categories.
  */
-function &get_categories( $args = '' ) {
+function get_categories( $args = '' ) {
 	$defaults = array( 'taxonomy' => 'category' );
 	$args = wp_parse_args( $args, $defaults );
 
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@
  * @param string $filter Optional. Default is raw or no WordPress defined filter will applied.
  * @return mixed Category data in type defined by $output parameter.
  */
-function &get_category( $category, $output = OBJECT, $filter = 'raw' ) {
+function get_category( $category, $output = OBJECT, $filter = 'raw' ) {
 	$category = get_term( $category, 'category', $output, $filter );
 	if ( is_wp_error( $category ) )
 		return $category;
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@
  * @param string|array $args Tag arguments to use when retrieving tags.
  * @return array List of tags.
  */
-function &get_tags( $args = '' ) {
+function get_tags( $args = '' ) {
 	$tags = get_terms( 'post_tag', $args );
 
 	if ( empty( $tags ) ) {
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@
  * @param string $filter Optional. Default is raw or no WordPress defined filter will applied.
  * @return object|array Return type based on $output value.
  */
-function &get_tag( $tag, $output = OBJECT, $filter = 'raw' ) {
+function get_tag( $tag, $output = OBJECT, $filter = 'raw' ) {
 	return get_term( $tag, 'post_tag', $output, $filter );
 }
 
Index: wp-includes/taxonomy.php
===================================================================
--- wp-includes/taxonomy.php	(revision 21787)
+++ wp-includes/taxonomy.php	(working copy)
@@ -859,7 +859,7 @@
  * @return mixed|null|WP_Error Term Row from database. Will return null if $term is empty. If taxonomy does not
  * exist then WP_Error will be returned.
  */
-function &get_term($term, $taxonomy, $output = OBJECT, $filter = 'raw') {
+function get_term($term, $taxonomy, $output = OBJECT, $filter = 'raw') {
 	global $wpdb;
 	$null = null;
 
@@ -1176,7 +1176,7 @@
  * @param string|array $args The values of what to search for when returning terms
  * @return array|WP_Error List of Term Objects and their children. Will return WP_Error, if any of $taxonomies do not exist.
  */
-function &get_terms($taxonomies, $args = '') {
+function get_terms($taxonomies, $args = '') {
 	global $wpdb;
 	$empty_array = array();
 
@@ -2635,7 +2635,7 @@
  * @param string $taxonomy Taxonomy Name
  * @return bool|array Empty array if $terms found, but not $taxonomy. False if nothing is in cache for $taxonomy and $id.
  */
-function &get_object_term_cache($id, $taxonomy) {
+function get_object_term_cache($id, $taxonomy) {
 	$cache = wp_cache_get($id, "{$taxonomy}_relationships");
 	return $cache;
 }
@@ -2781,7 +2781,7 @@
  * @param string $taxonomy The taxonomy which determines the hierarchy of the terms.
  * @return array The subset of $terms that are descendants of $term_id.
  */
-function &_get_term_children($term_id, $terms, $taxonomy) {
+function _get_term_children($term_id, $terms, $taxonomy) {
 	$empty_array = array();
 	if ( empty($terms) )
 		return $empty_array;
Index: wp-includes/pomo/mo.php
===================================================================
--- wp-includes/pomo/mo.php	(revision 21787)
+++ wp-includes/pomo/mo.php	(working copy)
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@
 	 * @param string $translation translation string from MO file. Might contain
 	 * 	0x00 as a plural translations separator
 	 */
-	function &make_entry($original, $translation) {
+	function make_entry($original, $translation) {
 		$entry = new Translation_Entry();
 		// look for context
 		$parts = explode(chr(4), $original);
Index: wp-includes/post.php
===================================================================
--- wp-includes/post.php	(revision 21787)
+++ wp-includes/post.php	(working copy)
@@ -3370,7 +3370,7 @@
  * @param array $pages List of pages' objects.
  * @return array
  */
-function &get_page_children($page_id, $pages) {
+function get_page_children($page_id, $pages) {
 	$page_list = array();
 	foreach ( (array) $pages as $page ) {
 		if ( $page->post_parent == $page_id ) {
@@ -3394,7 +3394,7 @@
  * @param int $page_id Parent page ID.
  * @return array A list arranged by hierarchy. Children immediately follow their parents.
  */
-function &get_page_hierarchy( &$pages, $page_id = 0 ) {
+function get_page_hierarchy( &$pages, $page_id = 0 ) {
 	if ( empty( $pages ) ) {
 		$result = array();
 		return $result;
@@ -3462,7 +3462,7 @@
  * @param mixed $args Optional. Array or string of options that overrides defaults.
  * @return array List of pages matching defaults or $args
  */
-function &get_pages($args = '') {
+function get_pages($args = '') {
 	global $wpdb;
 
 	$pages = false;
@@ -4950,7 +4950,7 @@
  * @param string $filter Optional sanitation filter. @see sanitize_post()
  * @return mixed Null if error or post object if success
  */
-function &wp_get_post_revision(&$post, $output = OBJECT, $filter = 'raw') {
+function wp_get_post_revision(&$post, $output = OBJECT, $filter = 'raw') {
 	$null = null;
 	if ( !$revision = get_post( $post, OBJECT, $filter ) )
 		return $revision;
Index: wp-includes/comment.php
===================================================================
--- wp-includes/comment.php	(revision 21787)
+++ wp-includes/comment.php	(working copy)
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@
  * @param string $output Optional. OBJECT or ARRAY_A or ARRAY_N constants.
  * @return object|array|null Depends on $output value.
  */
-function &get_comment(&$comment, $output = OBJECT) {
+function get_comment(&$comment, $output = OBJECT) {
 	global $wpdb;
 	$null = null;
 
@@ -723,7 +723,7 @@
  * @param array $comments Array of comments
  * @return array Array of comments keyed by comment_type.
  */
-function &separate_comments(&$comments) {
+function separate_comments(&$comments) {
 	$comments_by_type = array('comment' => array(), 'trackback' => array(), 'pingback' => array(), 'pings' => array());
 	$count = count($comments);
 	for ( $i = 0; $i < $count; $i++ ) {
Index: wp-includes/l10n.php
===================================================================
--- wp-includes/l10n.php	(revision 21787)
+++ wp-includes/l10n.php	(working copy)
@@ -493,7 +493,7 @@
  * @param string $domain
  * @return object A Translation instance
  */
-function &get_translations_for_domain( $domain ) {
+function get_translations_for_domain( $domain ) {
 	global $l10n;
 	if ( !isset( $l10n[$domain] ) ) {
 		$l10n[$domain] = new NOOP_Translations;
Index: wp-includes/query.php
===================================================================
--- wp-includes/query.php	(revision 21787)
+++ wp-includes/query.php	(working copy)
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@
  * @param string $query
  * @return array List of posts
  */
-function &query_posts($query) {
+function query_posts($query) {
 	unset($GLOBALS['wp_query']);
 	$GLOBALS['wp_query'] = new WP_Query();
 	return $GLOBALS['wp_query']->query($query);
@@ -1916,7 +1916,7 @@
 	 *
 	 * @return array List of posts.
 	 */
-	function &get_posts() {
+	function get_posts() {
 		global $wpdb, $user_ID, $_wp_using_ext_object_cache;
 
 		$this->parse_query();
@@ -2936,7 +2936,7 @@
 	 * @param string $query URL query string.
 	 * @return array List of posts.
 	 */
-	function &query( $query ) {
+	function query( $query ) {
 		$this->init();
 		$this->query = $this->query_vars = wp_parse_args( $query );
 		return $this->get_posts();
Index: wp-includes/class-oembed.php
===================================================================
--- wp-includes/class-oembed.php	(revision 21787)
+++ wp-includes/class-oembed.php	(working copy)
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@
  *
  * @return WP_oEmbed object.
  */
-function &_wp_oembed_get_object() {
+function _wp_oembed_get_object() {
 	static $wp_oembed;
 
 	if ( is_null($wp_oembed) )
Index: wp-includes/http.php
===================================================================
--- wp-includes/http.php	(revision 21787)
+++ wp-includes/http.php	(working copy)
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
  *
  * @return WP_Http HTTP Transport object.
  */
-function &_wp_http_get_object() {
+function _wp_http_get_object() {
 	static $http;
 
 	if ( is_null($http) )