diff --git a/app/controllers/publics_controller.rb b/app/controllers/publics_controller.rb
index 91edf995d..e7b994ff5 100644
--- a/app/controllers/publics_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/publics_controller.rb
@@ -22,10 +22,15 @@ class PublicsController < ApplicationController
   end
   
   def receive
-    @user = Person.first(:id => params[:id]).owner
+    render :nothing => true
+    begin
+      @user = Person.first(:id => params[:id]).owner
+    rescue NoMethodError => e
+      Rails.logger.error("Received post #{params[:xml]} for nonexistent person #{params[:id]}")
+      return
+    end
     Rails.logger.debug "PublicsController has received: #{params[:xml]}"
     @user.receive params[:xml] if params[:xml]
-    render :nothing => true
   end
   
 end
diff --git a/app/models/album.rb b/app/models/album.rb
index 7b9a746aa..b30cb5c45 100644
--- a/app/models/album.rb
+++ b/app/models/album.rb
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ class Album
 
   def self.mine_or_friends(friend_param, current_user)
     if friend_param
+      puts "i am working"
       Album.find_all_by_person_id(current_user.friend_ids)
     else
       current_user.person.albums
@@ -67,6 +68,6 @@ class Album
   end
 
   def propagate_retraction
-    Retraction.for(self).notify_people
+    self.person.owner.retract(self)
   end
 end
diff --git a/app/models/group.rb b/app/models/group.rb
index 6b8f18921..275bbf3a5 100644
--- a/app/models/group.rb
+++ b/app/models/group.rb
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ class Group
   include MongoMapper::Document
   
   key :name, String
+  validates_presence_of :name
 
   key :person_ids, Array
   key :request_ids, Array
diff --git a/app/models/person.rb b/app/models/person.rb
index f966a4070..26236a5b8 100644
--- a/app/models/person.rb
+++ b/app/models/person.rb
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ class Person
 
   timestamps!
 
-  after_destroy :remove_all_traces
+  before_destroy :remove_all_traces
   before_validation :clean_url
   validates_presence_of :email, :url, :profile, :serialized_key 
   validates_format_of :url, :with =>
@@ -92,5 +92,6 @@ class Person
   private
   def remove_all_traces
     Post.all(:person_id => id).each{|p| p.delete}
+    Album.all(:person_id => id).each{|p| p.delete}
   end
  end
diff --git a/app/models/user.rb b/app/models/user.rb
index 210714fcd..012e6c923 100644
--- a/app/models/user.rb
+++ b/app/models/user.rb
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ class User
   ######### Posts and Such ###############
 
   def retract( post )
+    post.unsocket_from_uid(self.id) if post.respond_to? :unsocket_from_uid
     retraction = Retraction.for(post)
     retraction.creator_signature = retraction.sign_with_key( encryption_key ) 
     retraction.notify_people
@@ -273,7 +274,7 @@ class User
       }
 
       groups = groups_with_person(object.person)
-      object.socket_to_uid(id, :group_id => groups.first.id) if (object.respond_to?(:socket_to_uid) && !self.owns?(object))
+      object.socket_to_uid(id, :group_id => group.id) if (object.respond_to?(:socket_to_uid) && !self.owns?(object))
     end
   end
 
@@ -296,16 +297,19 @@ class User
   end
   
   def visible_person_by_id( id )
-    return self.person if ensure_bson(id) == self.person.id
-    friends.detect{|x| x.id == ensure_bson( id ) }
+    id = ensure_bson id
+    return self.person if id == self.person.id
+    friends.detect{|x| x.id == id }
   end
 
   def group_by_id( id )
-    groups.detect{|x| x.id == ensure_bson( id ) }
+    id = ensure_bson id
+    groups.detect{|x| x.id == id }
   end
 
   def groups_with_person person
-    groups.select {|group| group.person_ids.include? person.id}
+    id = ensure_bson person.id
+    groups.select {|group| group.person_ids.include? id}
   end
   protected
   
diff --git a/spec/models/album_spec.rb b/spec/models/album_spec.rb
index f5038ec1c..e31dc5e4a 100644
--- a/spec/models/album_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/album_spec.rb
@@ -88,8 +88,5 @@ describe Album do
     it 'should have an id' do
       @xml.include?(@album.id.to_s).should be true
     end
-
   end
-
-
 end
diff --git a/spec/models/user/receive_spec.rb b/spec/models/user/receive_spec.rb
index 4919e66f4..a657f41e8 100644
--- a/spec/models/user/receive_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/user/receive_spec.rb
@@ -25,6 +25,18 @@ describe User do
     Post.all(:person_id => person.id).first.message.should == 'store this!'
     StatusMessage.all.size.should == 1
   end
+  
+  it 'should not create new groups on message receive' do
+    num_groups = @user.groups.size
+    
+    (0..5).each{ |n|
+      status_message = @user2.post :status_message, :message => "store this #{n}!"
+      xml = status_message.to_diaspora_xml
+      @user.receive( xml )
+    }
+
+    @user.groups.size.should == num_groups
+  end
 
   describe 'post refs' do
     before do