diff --git a/app/models/recurring_todo.rb b/app/models/recurring_todo.rb
index a798105a..3769e585 100644
--- a/app/models/recurring_todo.rb
+++ b/app/models/recurring_todo.rb
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ class RecurringTodo < ActiveRecord::Base
   end
 
   def validate_weekly
-    puts "@@@ validate_weekly [#{self.weekly_every_x_week}]"
     if weekly_every_x_week.blank?
       errors[:base] << "Every other nth week may not be empty for recurrence setting"
     end
diff --git a/app/models/todo.rb b/app/models/todo.rb
index 18ee7759..67a76a48 100644
--- a/app/models/todo.rb
+++ b/app/models/todo.rb
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ class Todo < ActiveRecord::Base
     state :active 
     state :project_hidden
     state :completed, :before_enter => Proc.new { |t| t.completed_at = Time.zone.now }, :before_exit => Proc.new { |t| t.completed_at = nil}
-    state :deferred,  :after_exit => Proc.new { |t| t[:show_from] = nil }
+    state :deferred,  :before_exit => Proc.new { |t| t[:show_from] = nil }
     state :pending
 
     event :defer do
diff --git a/lib/staleness.rb b/lib/staleness.rb
index d5375621..f377f1bf 100644
--- a/lib/staleness.rb
+++ b/lib/staleness.rb
@@ -2,9 +2,10 @@ require 'active_support/all'
 
 class Staleness
   SECONDS_PER_DAY = 86400
+
   def self.days_stale(item, current_user)
     return 0 if cannot_be_stale(item, current_user)
-    (UserTime.new(current_user).time - item.created_at).to_i / SECONDS_PER_DAY
+    (UserTime.new(current_user).time.utc - item.created_at.utc).to_i / SECONDS_PER_DAY
   end
 
   def self.cannot_be_stale(item, current_user)
diff --git a/public/favicon.ico b/public/favicon.ico
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8a3105e2
Binary files /dev/null and b/public/favicon.ico differ
diff --git a/test/controllers/todos_controller_test.rb b/test/controllers/todos_controller_test.rb
index 78b0c56c..6b44df50 100644
--- a/test/controllers/todos_controller_test.rb
+++ b/test/controllers/todos_controller_test.rb
@@ -406,6 +406,10 @@ class TodosControllerTest < ActionController::TestCase
     assert_equal context.id, todo.reload.context.id, 'context of todo should be changed'
   end
 
+  #######
+  # defer
+  ####### 
+
   def test_update_clearing_show_from_makes_todo_active
     t = Todo.find(1)
     t.show_from = "01/01/2030"
@@ -427,6 +431,31 @@ class TodosControllerTest < ActionController::TestCase
     assert_not_nil t.show_from
   end
 
+  def test_find_and_activate_ready
+    login_as(:admin_user)
+
+    # given a todo in the tickler that should be activated
+    Timecop.travel(2.weeks.ago) do
+      create_todo(
+        description: "tickler", 
+        show_from: 1.week.from_now.
+          in_time_zone(users(:admin_user).prefs.time_zone).
+          strftime("#{users(:admin_user).prefs.date_format}"))
+    end
+
+    todos = Todo.where(description: "tickler").where('show_from < ?', Time.zone.now)
+    assert_equal 1, todos.count, "there should be one todo in tickler"
+    todo = todos.first
+
+    assert todo.deferred?, "todo should be in deferred state"
+
+    # index page calls find_and_activate_ready
+    get :index
+
+    todo.reload
+    assert todo.active?, "todo should have been activated"
+    assert todo.show_from.nil?, "show_from date should have been cleared"
+  end
 
   #######
   # feeds
@@ -954,7 +983,7 @@ class TodosControllerTest < ActionController::TestCase
 
     put :create, _source_view: params[:_source_view], 
       context_name: params[:context_name], project_name: params[:project_name], tag_list: params[:tag_list],
-      todo: {notes: params[:notes], description: params[:description], due: params[:due]}
+      todo: {notes: params[:notes], description: params[:description], due: params[:due], show_from: params[:show_from]}
   end
 
 end
diff --git a/test/models/preference_test.rb b/test/models/preference_test.rb
index 9a66cfb5..d0c065fe 100644
--- a/test/models/preference_test.rb
+++ b/test/models/preference_test.rb
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ class PreferenceTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
   end
 
   def test_parse_date
-    date = Time.new(2007, 05, 20).in_time_zone(@admin_user.preference.time_zone).at_midnight
+    date = UserTime.new(@admin_user).midnight(Time.new(2007, 05, 20, 0, 0, 0))
     assert_equal date.to_s, @admin_user.preference.parse_date('20/5/2007').to_s
   end
 
diff --git a/test/models/staleness_test.rb b/test/models/staleness_test.rb
index c2c3efc4..0f119d87 100644
--- a/test/models/staleness_test.rb
+++ b/test/models/staleness_test.rb
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 require_relative '../minimal_test_helper'
 require_relative '../../lib/staleness'
-
+require_relative '../../lib/user_time'
+require 'timecop'
 
 class StalenessTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
   FakePrefs = Struct.new(:time_zone)
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ class StalenessTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
 
   def setup
     @current_user = FakeUser.new(now)
-    Timecop.freeze(Time.local(2013,02,28))
+    Timecop.freeze(Time.utc(2013,02,28))
   end
 
   def teardown
diff --git a/test/models/todo_test.rb b/test/models/todo_test.rb
index 4d25525b..ed9bf57e 100644
--- a/test/models/todo_test.rb
+++ b/test/models/todo_test.rb
@@ -51,18 +51,18 @@ class TodoTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
 
   def test_validate_length_of_description
     assert_equal "Call dinosaur exterminator", @not_completed2.description
-    @not_completed2.description = generate_random_string(101)
+    @not_completed2.description = generate_random_string(Todo::MAX_DESCRIPTION_LENGTH+1)
     assert !@not_completed2.save
     assert_equal 1, @not_completed2.errors.count
-    assert_equal "is too long (maximum is 100 characters)", @not_completed2.errors[:description][0]
+    assert_equal "is too long (maximum is #{Todo::MAX_DESCRIPTION_LENGTH} characters)", @not_completed2.errors[:description][0]
   end
 
   def test_validate_length_of_notes
     assert_equal "Ask him if I need to hire a skip for the corpses.", @not_completed2.notes
-    @not_completed2.notes = generate_random_string(60001)
+    @not_completed2.notes = generate_random_string(Todo::MAX_NOTES_LENGTH+1)
     assert !@not_completed2.save
     assert_equal 1, @not_completed2.errors.count
-    assert_equal "is too long (maximum is 60000 characters)", @not_completed2.errors[:notes][0]
+    assert_equal "is too long (maximum is #{Todo::MAX_NOTES_LENGTH} characters)", @not_completed2.errors[:notes][0]
   end
 
   def test_validate_show_from_must_be_a_date_in_the_future
@@ -160,17 +160,23 @@ class TodoTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
   end
 
   def test_activate_also_clears_show_from
-    # setup test case
-    t = @not_completed1
-    t.show_from = 1.week.from_now
-    t.save!
-    assert t.deferred?
-    t.reload
+    dates = [1.week.from_now, 1.week.ago]
 
-    # activate and check show_from
-    t.activate!
-    assert t.active?
-    assert t.show_from.nil?
+    dates.each do |show_from_date|
+      # setup test case
+      t = @not_completed1
+      Timecop.travel(show_from_date - 1.day) do
+        t.show_from = show_from_date
+        t.save!
+        assert t.deferred?
+        t.reload
+      end
+
+      # activate and check show_from
+      t.activate!
+      assert t.active?
+      assert t.show_from.nil?
+    end
   end
 
   def test_clearing_show_from_activates_todo