diff --git a/app/models/status_message.rb b/app/models/status_message.rb
index df0b2e34c..9601479ae 100644
--- a/app/models/status_message.rb
+++ b/app/models/status_message.rb
@@ -19,7 +19,10 @@ class StatusMessage < Post
   xml_attr :raw_message
 
   has_many :photos, :dependent => :destroy, :foreign_key => :status_message_guid, :primary_key => :guid
-  validate :presence_of_content
+
+  # TODO: disabling presence_of_content() (and its specs in status_message_controller_spec.rb:125) is a quick and dirty fix for federation
+  # a StatusMessage is federated before its photos are so presence_of_content() fails erroneously if no text is present
+  #validate :presence_of_content
 
   attr_accessible :text, :provider_display_name
   attr_accessor :oembed_url
diff --git a/lib/stream/soup.rb b/lib/stream/soup.rb
index 1d74ba365..29438b4c9 100644
--- a/lib/stream/soup.rb
+++ b/lib/stream/soup.rb
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ class Stream::Soup < Stream::Base
   end
 
   def aspect_posts_ids
-    @aspect_posts_ids ||= user.visible_post_ids(:limit => 15, :order => "#{order} DESC", :max_time => max_time, :all_aspects? => true, :by_members_of => aspect_ids)
+    @aspect_posts_ids ||= user.visible_shareable_ids(Post, :limit => 15, :order => "#{order} DESC", :max_time => max_time, :all_aspects? => true, :by_members_of => aspect_ids)
   end
 
   def followed_tag_ids
diff --git a/spec/controllers/status_messages_controller_spec.rb b/spec/controllers/status_messages_controller_spec.rb
index 76ea6feb5..1528768e6 100644
--- a/spec/controllers/status_messages_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/controllers/status_messages_controller_spec.rb
@@ -122,10 +122,11 @@ describe StatusMessagesController do
       StatusMessage.first.provider_display_name.should == 'mobile'
     end
 
-    it 'sends the errors in the body on js' do
-      post :create, status_message_hash.merge!(:format => 'js', :status_message => {:text => ''})
-      response.body.should include('Status message requires a message or at least one photo')
-    end
+# disabled to fix federation
+#    it 'sends the errors in the body on js' do
+#      post :create, status_message_hash.merge!(:format => 'js', :status_message => {:text => ''})
+#      response.body.should include('Status message requires a message or at least one photo')
+#    end
 
     context 'with photos' do
       before do
diff --git a/spec/lib/stream/aspect_spec.rb b/spec/lib/stream/aspect_spec.rb
index 967547c09..b7e96e52c 100644
--- a/spec/lib/stream/aspect_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/stream/aspect_spec.rb
@@ -57,19 +57,19 @@ describe Stream::Aspect do
     end
 
     it 'is called with 3 types' do
-      stream = AspectStream.new(@alice, [1,2], :order => 'created_at')
+      stream = Stream::Aspect.new(@alice, [1,2], :order => 'created_at')
       @alice.should_receive(:visible_shareables).with(Post, hash_including(:type=> ['StatusMessage', 'Reshare', 'ActivityStreams::Photo'])).and_return(stub.as_null_object)
       stream.posts
     end
 
     it 'respects ordering' do 
-      stream = AspectStream.new(@alice, [1,2], :order => 'created_at')
+      stream = Stream::Aspect.new(@alice, [1,2], :order => 'created_at')
       @alice.should_receive(:visible_shareables).with(Post, hash_including(:order => 'created_at DESC')).and_return(stub.as_null_object)
       stream.posts
     end
 
     it 'respects max_time' do
-      stream = AspectStream.new(@alice, [1,2], :max_time => 123)
+      stream = Stream::Aspect.new(@alice, [1,2], :max_time => 123)
       @alice.should_receive(:visible_shareables).with(Post, hash_including(:max_time => instance_of(Time))).and_return(stub.as_null_object)
       stream.posts
     end
diff --git a/spec/models/status_message_spec.rb b/spec/models/status_message_spec.rb
index 005e0afd0..849fa796b 100644
--- a/spec/models/status_message_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/status_message_spec.rb
@@ -88,10 +88,10 @@ describe StatusMessage do
   end
   it "should have either a message or at least one photo" do
     n = Factory.build(:status_message, :text => nil)
-    n.valid?.should be_false
+#    n.valid?.should be_false
 
-    n.text = ""
-    n.valid?.should be_false
+#    n.text = ""
+#    n.valid?.should be_false
 
     n.text = "wales"
     n.valid?.should be_true
diff --git a/spec/models/user/querying_spec.rb b/spec/models/user/querying_spec.rb
index b4168de02..90c94b2fd 100644
--- a/spec/models/user/querying_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/user/querying_spec.rb
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ describe User do
       time = Time.now
       Time.stub(:now).and_return(time)
       alice.send(:prep_opts, Post, {}).should == {
-        :type => BaseStream::TYPES_OF_POST_IN_STREAM, 
+        :type => Stream::Base::TYPES_OF_POST_IN_STREAM, 
         :order => 'created_at DESC',
         :limit => 15,
         :hidden => false,