diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/Bootstrap.php b/airtime_mvc/application/Bootstrap.php
index 2ff1eb72f..1f4c66ba2 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/Bootstrap.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/Bootstrap.php
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ require_once "OsPath.php";
 require_once "Database.php";
 require_once "ProvisioningHelper.php";
 require_once "SecurityHelper.php";
+require_once "SessionHelper.php";
 require_once "GoogleAnalytics.php";
 require_once "Timezone.php";
 require_once "Auth.php";
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@ require_once __DIR__.'/services/CeleryService.php';
 require_once __DIR__.'/services/SoundcloudService.php';
 require_once __DIR__.'/forms/helpers/ValidationTypes.php';
 require_once __DIR__.'/forms/helpers/CustomDecorators.php';
+require_once __DIR__.'/controllers/plugins/PageLayoutInitPlugin.php';
 require_once __DIR__.'/controllers/plugins/RabbitMqPlugin.php';
 require_once __DIR__.'/controllers/plugins/Maintenance.php';
 require_once __DIR__.'/controllers/plugins/ConversionTracking.php';
@@ -53,20 +55,21 @@ if (array_key_exists("REQUEST_URI", $_SERVER) && (stripos($_SERVER["REQUEST_URI"
     die();
 }
 
+Zend_Session::setOptions(array('strict' => true));
+
+
 Config::setAirtimeVersion();
 require_once (CONFIG_PATH . 'navigation.php');
 
 Zend_Validate::setDefaultNamespaces("Zend");
 
-Application_Model_Auth::pinSessionToClient(Zend_Auth::getInstance());
-
 $front = Zend_Controller_Front::getInstance();
 $front->registerPlugin(new RabbitMqPlugin());
 $front->registerPlugin(new Zend_Controller_Plugin_ConversionTracking());
 $front->throwExceptions(false);
 
-//localization configuration
-Application_Model_Locale::configureLocalization();
+
+
 
 /* The bootstrap class should only be used to initialize actions that return a view.
    Actions that return JSON will not use the bootstrap class! */
@@ -79,64 +82,6 @@ class Bootstrap extends Zend_Application_Bootstrap_Bootstrap
         $view->doctype('XHTML1_STRICT');
     }
 
-    protected function _initGlobals()
-    {
-        $view = $this->getResource('view');
-        $baseUrl = Application_Common_OsPath::getBaseDir();
-
-        $view->headScript()->appendScript("var baseUrl = '$baseUrl';");
-        $this->_initTranslationGlobals($view);
-
-        $user = Application_Model_User::GetCurrentUser();
-        if (!is_null($user)) {
-            $userType = $user->getType();
-        } else {
-            $userType = "";
-        }
-        $view->headScript()->appendScript("var userType = '$userType';");
-
-        // Dropzone also accept file extensions and doesn't correctly extract certain mimetypes (eg. FLAC - try it),
-        // so we append the file extensions to the list of mimetypes and that makes it work.
-        $mimeTypes = FileDataHelper::getAudioMimeTypeArray();
-        $fileExtensions = array_values($mimeTypes);
-        foreach($fileExtensions as &$extension) {
-            $extension = '.' . $extension;
-        }
-        $view->headScript()->appendScript("var acceptedMimeTypes = " . json_encode(array_merge(array_keys($mimeTypes), $fileExtensions)) . ";");
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Create a global namespace to hold a session token for CSRF prevention
-     */
-    protected function _initCsrfNamespace()
-    {
-        $csrf_namespace = new Zend_Session_Namespace('csrf_namespace');
-        // Check if the token exists
-        if (!$csrf_namespace->authtoken) {
-            // If we don't have a token, regenerate it and set a 1 week timeout
-            // Should we log the user out here if the token is expired?
-            $csrf_namespace->authtoken = sha1(uniqid(rand(), 1));
-            $csrf_namespace->setExpirationSeconds(168 * 60 * 60);
-        }
-
-        //Here we are closing the session for writing because otherwise no requests
-        //in this session will be handled in parallel. This gives a major boost to the perceived performance
-        //of the application (page load times are more consistent, no lock contention).
-        session_write_close();
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Ideally, globals should be written to a single js file once
-     * from a php init function. This will save us from having to
-     * reinitialize them every request
-     */
-    private function _initTranslationGlobals()
-    {
-        $view = $this->getResource('view');
-        $view->headScript()->appendScript("var PRODUCT_NAME = '" . PRODUCT_NAME . "';");
-        $view->headScript()->appendScript("var USER_MANUAL_URL = '" . USER_MANUAL_URL . "';");
-        $view->headScript()->appendScript("var COMPANY_NAME = '" . COMPANY_NAME . "';");
-    }
     
     protected function _initTasks() {
         /* We need to wrap this here so that we aren't checking when we're running the unit test suite
@@ -149,115 +94,7 @@ class Bootstrap extends Zend_Application_Bootstrap_Bootstrap
         }
     }
 
-    protected function _initHeadLink()
-    {
-        $CC_CONFIG = Config::getConfig();
 
-        $view = $this->getResource('view');
-
-        $baseUrl = Application_Common_OsPath::getBaseDir();
-
-        $view->headLink(array('rel' => 'icon', 'href' => $baseUrl . 'favicon.ico?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'type' => 'image/x-icon'), 'PREPEND')
-            ->appendStylesheet($baseUrl . 'css/bootstrap.css?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'])
-            ->appendStylesheet($baseUrl . 'css/redmond/jquery-ui-1.8.8.custom.css?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'])
-            ->appendStylesheet($baseUrl . 'css/pro_dropdown_3.css?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'])
-            ->appendStylesheet($baseUrl . 'css/qtip/jquery.qtip.min.css?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'])
-            ->appendStylesheet($baseUrl . 'css/styles.css?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'])
-            ->appendStylesheet($baseUrl . 'css/masterpanel.css?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'])
-            ->appendStylesheet($baseUrl . 'css/tipsy/jquery.tipsy.css?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version']);
-    }
-
-    protected function _initHeadScript()
-    {
-        $CC_CONFIG = Config::getConfig();
-
-        $view = $this->getResource('view');
-
-        $baseUrl = Application_Common_OsPath::getBaseDir();
-
-        $view->headScript()->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/libs/jquery-1.8.3.min.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
-            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/libs/jquery-ui-1.8.24.min.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
-            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/bootstrap/bootstrap.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
-            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/libs/underscore-min.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
-
-            // ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/libs/jquery.stickyPanel.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
-            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/qtip/jquery.qtip.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
-            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/jplayer/jquery.jplayer.min.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
-            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/sprintf/sprintf-0.7-beta1.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
-            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/cookie/jquery.cookie.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
-            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/i18n/jquery.i18n.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
-            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'locale/general-translation-table?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
-            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'locale/datatables-translation-table?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
-
-            ->appendScript("$.i18n.setDictionary(general_dict)")
-            ->appendScript("var baseUrl='$baseUrl'");
-
-        //These timezones are needed to adjust javascript Date objects on the client to make sense to the user's set timezone
-        //or the server's set timezone.
-        $serverTimeZone = new DateTimeZone(Application_Model_Preference::GetDefaultTimezone());
-        $now = new DateTime("now", $serverTimeZone);
-        $offset = $now->format("Z") * -1;
-        $view->headScript()->appendScript("var serverTimezoneOffset = {$offset}; //in seconds");
-
-        if (class_exists("Zend_Auth", false) && Zend_Auth::getInstance()->hasIdentity()) {
-            $userTimeZone = new DateTimeZone(Application_Model_Preference::GetUserTimezone());
-            $now = new DateTime("now", $userTimeZone);
-            $offset = $now->format("Z") * -1;
-            $view->headScript()->appendScript("var userTimezoneOffset = {$offset}; //in seconds");
-        }
-
-        //scripts for now playing bar
-        $view->headScript()->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/airtime/airtime_bootstrap.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
-            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/airtime/dashboard/helperfunctions.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
-            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/airtime/dashboard/dashboard.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
-            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/airtime/dashboard/versiontooltip.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
-            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/tipsy/jquery.tipsy.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
-
-            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/airtime/common/common.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
-            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/airtime/common/audioplaytest.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript');
-
-        $user = Application_Model_User::getCurrentUser();
-        if (!is_null($user)) {
-            $userType = $user->getType();
-        } else {
-            $userType = "";
-        }
-
-        $view->headScript()->appendScript("var userType = '$userType';");
-        if (array_key_exists('REQUEST_URI', $_SERVER) //Doesn't exist for unit tests
-            && strpos($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'], 'Dashboard/stream-player') === false
-            && strpos($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'], 'audiopreview') === false
-            && $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] != "/") {
-            $plan_level = strval(Application_Model_Preference::GetPlanLevel());
-            // Since the Hobbyist plan doesn't come with Live Chat support, don't enable it
-            if (Application_Model_Preference::GetLiveChatEnabled() && $plan_level !== 'hobbyist') {
-                $client_id = strval(Application_Model_Preference::GetClientId());
-                $station_url = $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'] . $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'];
-                $view->headScript()->appendScript("var livechat_client_id = '$client_id';\n" .
-                    "var livechat_plan_type = '$plan_level';\n" .
-                    "var livechat_station_url = 'http://$station_url';");
-                $view->headScript()->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/airtime/common/livechat.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript');
-            }
-        }
-
-        /*
-        if (isset($CC_CONFIG['demo']) && $CC_CONFIG['demo'] == 1) {
-            $view->headScript()->appendFile($baseUrl.'js/libs/google-analytics.js?'.$CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'],'text/javascript');
-        }*/
-    }
-
-    protected function _initViewHelpers()
-    {
-        $view = $this->getResource('view');
-        $view->addHelperPath(APPLICATION_PATH . 'views/helpers', 'Airtime_View_Helper');
-        $view->assign('suspended', (Application_Model_Preference::getProvisioningStatus() == PROVISIONING_STATUS_SUSPENDED));
-    }
-
-    protected function _initTitle()
-    {
-        $view = $this->getResource('view');
-        $view->headTitle(Application_Model_Preference::GetHeadTitle());
-    }
 
     protected function _initZFDebug()
     {
@@ -303,6 +140,7 @@ class Bootstrap extends Zend_Application_Bootstrap_Bootstrap
     {
         $front = Zend_Controller_Front::getInstance();
         $front->registerPlugin(new Zend_Controller_Plugin_Maintenance());
+        $front->registerPlugin(new PageLayoutInitPlugin($this));
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/common/SecurityHelper.php b/airtime_mvc/application/common/SecurityHelper.php
index 95353407e..f36ae638a 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/common/SecurityHelper.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/common/SecurityHelper.php
@@ -12,4 +12,12 @@ class SecurityHelper {
         }
         return $arr;
     }
+
+    public static function verifyCSRFToken($observedToken) {
+        $current_namespace = new Zend_Session_Namespace('csrf_namespace');
+        $observed_csrf_token = $observedToken;
+        $expected_csrf_token = $current_namespace->authtoken;
+
+        return ($observed_csrf_token == $expected_csrf_token);
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/common/SessionHelper.php b/airtime_mvc/application/common/SessionHelper.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..badfa1924
--- /dev/null
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/common/SessionHelper.php
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+<?php
+
+class SessionHelper
+{
+    public static function reopenSessionForWriting() {
+        //PHP will send double Set-Cookie headers if we reopen the
+        //session for writing, and this breaks IE8 and some other browsers.
+        //This hacky workaround prevents double headers. Background here:
+        // https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=38104
+        ini_set('session.cache_limiter', null);
+        session_start(); // Reopen the session for writing (without resending the Set-Cookie header)
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/common/TaskManager.php b/airtime_mvc/application/common/TaskManager.php
index c1687defa..c44be2552 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/common/TaskManager.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/common/TaskManager.php
@@ -114,6 +114,9 @@ final class TaskManager {
      *              otherwise false
      */
     private function _isUserSessionRequest() {
+        if (!Zend_Session::isStarted()) {
+            return false;
+        }
         $auth = Zend_Auth::getInstance();
         $data = $auth->getStorage()->read();
         return !empty($data);
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/configs/constants.php b/airtime_mvc/application/configs/constants.php
index dd421a9d9..41b5cd21a 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/configs/constants.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/configs/constants.php
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ define('TERMS_AND_CONDITIONS_URL'   , 'http://www.sourcefabric.org/en/about/poli
 define('PRIVACY_POLICY_URL'         , 'http://www.sourcefabric.org/en/about/policy/');
 define('USER_MANUAL_URL'            , 'http://sourcefabric.booktype.pro/airtime-pro-for-broadcasters');
 define('ABOUT_AIRTIME_URL'          , 'https://www.airtime.pro/support/');
-define('AIRTIME_TRANSIFEX_URL'      , 'https://www.transifex.com/projects/p/airtime/');
+define('AIRTIME_TRANSIFEX_URL'      , 'https://www.transifex.com/sourcefabric/airtime/');
 define('WHMCS_PASSWORD_RESET_URL'   , 'https://account.sourcefabric.com/pwreset.php');
 define('SUPPORT_TICKET_URL'         , 'https://sourcefabricberlin.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new');
 define('UI_REVAMP_EMBED_URL'        , 'https://www.youtube.com/embed/nqpNnCKGluY');
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/ApiController.php b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/ApiController.php
index d30013d8d..ca0d182ef 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/ApiController.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/ApiController.php
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ class ApiController extends Zend_Controller_Action
 
     public function init()
     {
+
+        //Ignore API key and session authentication for these APIs:
         $ignoreAuth = array("live-info", 
             "live-info-v2", 
             "week-info", 
@@ -25,6 +27,11 @@ class ApiController extends Zend_Controller_Action
             "show-logo"
         );
 
+        if (Zend_Session::isStarted()) {
+            Logging::error("Session already started for an API request. Check your code because
+                            this will negatively impact performance.");
+        }
+
         $params = $this->getRequest()->getParams();
         if (!in_array($params['action'], $ignoreAuth)) {
             $this->checkAuth();
@@ -73,13 +80,23 @@ class ApiController extends Zend_Controller_Action
         $CC_CONFIG = Config::getConfig();
         $api_key = $this->_getParam('api_key');
 
-        if (!in_array($api_key, $CC_CONFIG["apiKey"]) &&
-            is_null(Zend_Auth::getInstance()->getStorage()->read())) {
-            header('HTTP/1.0 401 Unauthorized');
-            print _('You are not allowed to access this resource.');
-            exit;
+        if (in_array($api_key, $CC_CONFIG["apiKey"])) {
+            return true;
         }
-        return true;
+
+        //Start the session so the authentication is
+        //enforced by the ACL plugin.
+        Zend_Session::start();
+        $authAdapter = Zend_Auth::getInstance();
+        Application_Model_Auth::pinSessionToClient($authAdapter);
+
+        if ((Zend_Auth::getInstance()->hasIdentity())) {
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        header('HTTP/1.0 401 Unauthorized');
+        print _('You are not allowed to access this resource.');
+        exit();
     }
 
     public function versionAction()
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/BillingController.php b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/BillingController.php
index 0e135e436..4cfbd4f77 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/BillingController.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/BillingController.php
@@ -28,7 +28,10 @@ class BillingController extends Zend_Controller_Action {
         $baseUrl = Application_Common_OsPath::getBaseDir();
         $this->view->headLink()->appendStylesheet($baseUrl.'css/billing.css?'.$CC_CONFIG['airtime_version']);
         Billing::ensureClientIdIsValid();
-        
+
+        //Zend's CSRF token element requires the session to be open for writing
+        SessionHelper::reopenSessionForWriting();
+
         $request = $this->getRequest();
         $form = new Application_Form_BillingUpgradeDowngrade();
 
@@ -224,7 +227,10 @@ class BillingController extends Zend_Controller_Action {
         $CC_CONFIG = Config::getConfig();
         $baseUrl = Application_Common_OsPath::getBaseDir();
         $this->view->headLink()->appendStylesheet($baseUrl.'css/billing.css?'.$CC_CONFIG['airtime_version']);
-        
+
+        //Zend's CSRF token element requires the session to be open for writing
+        SessionHelper::reopenSessionForWriting();
+
         $request = $this->getRequest();
         $form = new Application_Form_BillingClient();
         Billing::ensureClientIdIsValid();
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/LoginController.php b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/LoginController.php
index 708f9ac16..ab021385f 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/LoginController.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/LoginController.php
@@ -8,8 +8,14 @@ class LoginController extends Zend_Controller_Action
 
     public function init()
     {
-        //Open the session for writing, because we close it for writing by default in Bootstrap.php as an optimization.
-        session_start();
+        $CC_CONFIG = Config::getConfig();
+        $baseUrl = Application_Common_OsPath::getBaseDir();
+
+        $this->view->headLink(array('rel' => 'icon', 'href' => $baseUrl . 'favicon.ico?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'type' => 'image/x-icon'), 'PREPEND')
+            ->appendStylesheet($baseUrl . 'css/bootstrap.css?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'])
+            ->appendStylesheet($baseUrl . 'css/redmond/jquery-ui-1.8.8.custom.css?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'])
+            ->appendStylesheet($baseUrl . 'css/styles.css?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version']);
+
     }
 
     public function indexAction()
@@ -22,13 +28,21 @@ class LoginController extends Zend_Controller_Action
         
         //Enable AJAX requests from www.airtime.pro for the sign-in process.
         CORSHelper::enableATProCrossOriginRequests($request, $response);
-                
+
         
         Application_Model_Locale::configureLocalization($request->getcookie('airtime_locale', $stationLocale));
-        $auth = Zend_Auth::getInstance();
-        
-        if ($auth->hasIdentity()) {
-            $this->_redirect('showbuilder');
+
+        if (Zend_Session::isStarted()) {
+
+            //Open the session for writing, because we close it for writing by default in Bootstrap.php as an optimization.
+            SessionHelper::reopenSessionForWriting();
+
+            $auth = Zend_Auth::getInstance();
+            $auth->getStorage();
+
+            if ($auth->hasIdentity()) {
+                $this->_redirect('showbuilder');
+            }
         }
 
         //uses separate layout without a navigation.
@@ -43,6 +57,10 @@ class LoginController extends Zend_Controller_Action
         $message = _("Please enter your username and password.");
 
         if ($request->isPost()) {
+
+            //Open the session for writing, because we close it for writing by default in Bootstrap.php as an optimization.
+            //session_start();
+
             // if the post contains recaptcha field, which means form had recaptcha field.
             // Hence add the element for validation.
             if (array_key_exists('recaptcha_response_field', $request->getPost())) {
@@ -117,6 +135,9 @@ class LoginController extends Zend_Controller_Action
 
     public function logoutAction()
     {
+        //Open the session for writing, because we close it for writing by default in Bootstrap.php as an optimization.
+        SessionHelper::reopenSessionForWriting();
+
         $auth = Zend_Auth::getInstance();
         $auth->clearIdentity();
         // Unset all session variables relating to CSRF prevention on logout
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/PlaylistController.php b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/PlaylistController.php
index 7bb425a7e..c1fa52d17 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/PlaylistController.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/PlaylistController.php
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ class PlaylistController extends Zend_Controller_Action
                     ->initContext();
 
         //This controller writes to the session all over the place, so we're going to reopen it for writing here.
-        session_start(); //Reopen the session for writing
+        SessionHelper::reopenSessionForWriting();
     }
 
     private function getPlaylist($p_type)
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/PreferenceController.php b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/PreferenceController.php
index 359050510..4229aca98 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/PreferenceController.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/PreferenceController.php
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ class PreferenceController extends Zend_Controller_Action
         $form = new Application_Form_Preferences();
         $values = array();
 
-        session_start(); //Open session for writing.
+        SessionHelper::reopenSessionForWriting();
 
         if ($request->isPost()) {
             $values = $request->getPost();
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ class PreferenceController extends Zend_Controller_Action
         $this->view->headScript()->appendFile($baseUrl.'js/airtime/preferences/support-setting.js?'.$CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'],'text/javascript');
         $this->view->statusMsg = "";
 
-        session_start(); //Open session for writing.
+        SessionHelper::reopenSessionForWriting();
 
         $form = new Application_Form_SupportSettings();
         if ($request->isPost()) {
@@ -130,12 +130,18 @@ class PreferenceController extends Zend_Controller_Action
 
     public function removeLogoAction()
     {
-        session_start(); //Open session for writing.
+        SessionHelper::reopenSessionForWriting();
 
         $this->view->layout()->disableLayout();
         // Remove reliance on .phtml files to render requests
         $this->_helper->viewRenderer->setNoRender(true);
 
+        if (!SecurityHelper::verifyCSRFToken($this->_getParam('csrf_token'))) {
+            Logging::error(__FILE__ . ': Invalid CSRF token');
+            $this->_helper->json->sendJson(array("jsonrpc" => "2.0", "valid" => false, "error" => "CSRF token did not match."));
+            return;
+        }
+
         Application_Model_Preference::SetStationLogo("");
     }
 
@@ -151,7 +157,7 @@ class PreferenceController extends Zend_Controller_Action
 
         $this->view->headScript()->appendFile($baseUrl.'js/airtime/preferences/streamsetting.js?'.$CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'],'text/javascript');
 
-        session_start(); //Open session for writing.
+        SessionHelper::reopenSessionForWriting();
 
         $name_map = array(
 				'ogg' => 'Ogg Vorbis',
@@ -445,7 +451,7 @@ class PreferenceController extends Zend_Controller_Action
 
     public function setSourceConnectionUrlAction()
     {
-        session_start(); //Open session for writing.
+        SessionHelper::reopenSessionForWriting();
 
         $request = $this->getRequest();
         $type = $request->getParam("type", null);
@@ -465,7 +471,7 @@ class PreferenceController extends Zend_Controller_Action
 
     public function getAdminPasswordStatusAction()
     {
-        session_start(); //Open session for writing.
+        SessionHelper::reopenSessionForWriting();
 
         $out = array();
         $num_of_stream = intval(Application_Model_Preference::GetNumOfStreams());
@@ -483,6 +489,12 @@ class PreferenceController extends Zend_Controller_Action
     {
         $this->view->layout()->disableLayout();
         $this->_helper->viewRenderer->setNoRender(true);
+        
+        if (!SecurityHelper::verifyCSRFToken($this->_getParam('csrf_token'))) {
+            Logging::error(__FILE__ . ': Invalid CSRF token');
+            $this->_helper->json->sendJson(array("jsonrpc" => "2.0", "valid" => false, "error" => "CSRF token did not match."));
+            return;
+        }
 
         // Only admin users should get here through ACL permissioning
         // Only allow POST requests
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/UserController.php b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/UserController.php
index d626dcd5f..e4b48a90e 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/UserController.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/UserController.php
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ class UserController extends Zend_Controller_Action
     {
         // Start the session to re-open write permission to the session so we can
         // create the namespace for our csrf token verification
-        session_start();
+        SessionHelper::reopenSessionForWriting();
         $CC_CONFIG = Config::getConfig();
 
         $request = $this->getRequest();
@@ -126,7 +126,8 @@ class UserController extends Zend_Controller_Action
     {
         Zend_Layout::getMvcInstance()->assign('parent_page', 'Settings');
 
-        session_start(); //Reopen session for writing.
+        SessionHelper::reopenSessionForWriting();
+
         $request = $this->getRequest();
         $form = new Application_Form_EditUser();
         if ($request->isPost()) {
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/UsersettingsController.php b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/UsersettingsController.php
index 35fbb19e1..519e854b8 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/UsersettingsController.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/UsersettingsController.php
@@ -70,14 +70,14 @@ class UsersettingsController extends Zend_Controller_Action
     public function remindmeAction()
     {
         // unset session
-        session_start();  //open session for writing again
+        SessionHelper::reopenSessionForWriting();
         Zend_Session::namespaceUnset('referrer');
         Application_Model_Preference::SetRemindMeDate();
     }
     
     public function remindmeNeverAction()
     {
-        session_start();  //open session for writing again
+        SessionHelper::reopenSessionForWriting();
         Zend_Session::namespaceUnset('referrer');
         //pass in true to indicate 'Remind me never' was clicked
         Application_Model_Preference::SetRemindMeDate(true);
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ class UsersettingsController extends Zend_Controller_Action
     public function donotshowregistrationpopupAction()
     {
         // unset session
-        session_start();  //open session for writing again
+        SessionHelper::reopenSessionForWriting();
         Zend_Session::namespaceUnset('referrer');
     }
 
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/plugins/Acl_plugin.php b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/plugins/Acl_plugin.php
index 18f1c69a5..6bfe20d0d 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/plugins/Acl_plugin.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/plugins/Acl_plugin.php
@@ -109,9 +109,10 @@ class Zend_Controller_Plugin_Acl extends Zend_Controller_Plugin_Abstract
     public function preDispatch(Zend_Controller_Request_Abstract $request)
     {
         $controller = strtolower($request->getControllerName());
-        Application_Model_Auth::pinSessionToClient(Zend_Auth::getInstance());
 
         if (in_array($controller, array(
+                "index",
+                "login",
                 "api",
                 "auth",
                 "error",
@@ -123,7 +124,10 @@ class Zend_Controller_Plugin_Acl extends Zend_Controller_Plugin_Abstract
             )))
         {
             $this->setRoleName("G");
-        } elseif (!Zend_Auth::getInstance()->hasIdentity()) {
+        }
+        elseif (Zend_Session::isStarted() && !Zend_Auth::getInstance()->hasIdentity()) {
+
+            //The controller uses sessions but we don't have an identity yet.
 
             // If we don't have an identity and we're making a RESTful request,
             // we need to do API key verification
@@ -165,6 +169,7 @@ class Zend_Controller_Plugin_Acl extends Zend_Controller_Plugin_Abstract
                 }
             }
         } else { //We have a session/identity.
+
             // If we have an identity and we're making a RESTful request,
             // we need to check the CSRF token
             if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] != "GET" && $request->getModuleName() == "rest") {
@@ -223,11 +228,7 @@ class Zend_Controller_Plugin_Acl extends Zend_Controller_Plugin_Abstract
     }
     
     private function verifyCSRFToken($token) {
-        $current_namespace = new Zend_Session_Namespace('csrf_namespace');
-        $observed_csrf_token = $token;
-        $expected_csrf_token = $current_namespace->authtoken;
-
-        return ($observed_csrf_token == $expected_csrf_token);
+        return SecurityHelper::verifyCSRFToken($token);
     }
     
     private function verifyAPIKey() {
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/plugins/ConversionTracking.php b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/plugins/ConversionTracking.php
index 09904828d..ae0fc2781 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/plugins/ConversionTracking.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/plugins/ConversionTracking.php
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@ class Zend_Controller_Plugin_ConversionTracking extends Zend_Controller_Plugin_A
 {
     public function preDispatch(Zend_Controller_Request_Abstract $request)
     {
+        if (!Zend_Session::isStarted()) {
+            return;
+        }
+
         //If user is a super admin and old plan level is set to trial....
         if (Application_Common_GoogleAnalytics::didPaidConversionOccur($request))
         {
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/plugins/PageLayoutInitPlugin.php b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/plugins/PageLayoutInitPlugin.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dca720028
--- /dev/null
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/plugins/PageLayoutInitPlugin.php
@@ -0,0 +1,241 @@
+<?php
+
+/** Our standard page layout initialization has to be done via a plugin
+ * because some of it requires session variables, and some of the routes
+ * run without a session (like API calls). This is an optimization because
+ * starting the session adds a fair amount of overhead.
+ */
+class PageLayoutInitPlugin extends Zend_Controller_Plugin_Abstract
+{
+    protected $_bootstrap = null;
+
+    public function __construct($boostrap) {
+        $this->_bootstrap = $boostrap;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Start the session depending on which controller your request is going to.
+     * We start the session explicitly here so that we can avoid starting sessions
+     * needlessly for (stateless) requests to the API.
+     * @param Zend_Controller_Request_Abstract $request
+     * @throws Zend_Session_Exception
+     */
+    public function routeShutdown(Zend_Controller_Request_Abstract $request)
+    {
+        $controller = strtolower($request->getControllerName());
+        $action = strtolower($request->getActionName());
+
+        //List of controllers where we don't need a session, and we don't need
+        //all the standard HTML / JS boilerplate.
+        if (!in_array($controller, array(
+            "index", //Radio Page
+            "api",
+            "auth",
+            "error",
+            "locale",
+            "upgrade",
+            'whmcs-login',
+            "provisioning",
+            "embed"
+        ))
+        ) {
+            //Start the session
+            Zend_Session::start();
+            Application_Model_Auth::pinSessionToClient(Zend_Auth::getInstance());
+
+            //localization configuration
+            Application_Model_Locale::configureLocalization();
+
+            $this->_initGlobals();
+            $this->_initCsrfNamespace();
+            $this->_initHeadLink();
+            $this->_initHeadScript();
+            $this->_initTitle();
+            $this->_initTranslationGlobals();
+            $this->_initViewHelpers();
+        }
+    }
+
+    protected function _initGlobals()
+    {
+        if (!Zend_Session::isStarted()) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $view = $this->_bootstrap->getResource('view');
+        $baseUrl = Application_Common_OsPath::getBaseDir();
+
+        $view->headScript()->appendScript("var baseUrl = '$baseUrl';");
+        $this->_initTranslationGlobals($view);
+
+        $user = Application_Model_User::GetCurrentUser();
+        if (!is_null($user)) {
+            $userType = $user->getType();
+        } else {
+            $userType = "";
+        }
+        $view->headScript()->appendScript("var userType = '$userType';");
+        
+        // Dropzone also accept file extensions and doesn't correctly extract certain mimetypes (eg. FLAC - try it),
+        // so we append the file extensions to the list of mimetypes and that makes it work.
+        $mimeTypes = FileDataHelper::getAudioMimeTypeArray();
+        $fileExtensions = array_values($mimeTypes);
+        foreach($fileExtensions as &$extension) {
+            $extension = '.' . $extension;
+        }
+        $view->headScript()->appendScript("var acceptedMimeTypes = " . json_encode(array_merge(array_keys($mimeTypes), $fileExtensions)) . ";");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Create a global namespace to hold a session token for CSRF prevention
+     */
+    protected function _initCsrfNamespace()
+    {
+        /*
+        if (!Zend_Session::isStarted()) {
+            return;
+        }*/
+
+        $csrf_namespace = new Zend_Session_Namespace('csrf_namespace');
+        // Check if the token exists
+        if (!$csrf_namespace->authtoken) {
+            // If we don't have a token, regenerate it and set a 1 week timeout
+            // Should we log the user out here if the token is expired?
+            $csrf_namespace->authtoken = sha1(uniqid(rand(), 1));
+            $csrf_namespace->setExpirationSeconds(168 * 60 * 60);
+        }
+
+        //Here we are closing the session for writing because otherwise no requests
+        //in this session will be handled in parallel. This gives a major boost to the perceived performance
+        //of the application (page load times are more consistent, no lock contention).
+        session_write_close();
+        //Zend_Session::writeClose(true);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Ideally, globals should be written to a single js file once
+     * from a php init function. This will save us from having to
+     * reinitialize them every request
+     */
+    private function _initTranslationGlobals()
+    {
+        $view = $this->_bootstrap->getResource('view');
+        $view->headScript()->appendScript("var PRODUCT_NAME = '" . PRODUCT_NAME . "';");
+        $view->headScript()->appendScript("var USER_MANUAL_URL = '" . USER_MANUAL_URL . "';");
+        $view->headScript()->appendScript("var COMPANY_NAME = '" . COMPANY_NAME . "';");
+    }
+
+    protected function _initHeadLink()
+    {
+        $CC_CONFIG = Config::getConfig();
+
+        $view = $this->_bootstrap->getResource('view');
+
+        $baseUrl = Application_Common_OsPath::getBaseDir();
+
+        $view->headLink(array('rel' => 'icon', 'href' => $baseUrl . 'favicon.ico?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'type' => 'image/x-icon'), 'PREPEND')
+            ->appendStylesheet($baseUrl . 'css/bootstrap.css?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'])
+            ->appendStylesheet($baseUrl . 'css/redmond/jquery-ui-1.8.8.custom.css?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'])
+            ->appendStylesheet($baseUrl . 'css/pro_dropdown_3.css?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'])
+            ->appendStylesheet($baseUrl . 'css/qtip/jquery.qtip.min.css?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'])
+            ->appendStylesheet($baseUrl . 'css/styles.css?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'])
+            ->appendStylesheet($baseUrl . 'css/masterpanel.css?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'])
+            ->appendStylesheet($baseUrl . 'css/tipsy/jquery.tipsy.css?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version']);
+    }
+
+    protected function _initHeadScript()
+    {
+        if (!Zend_Session::isStarted()) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $CC_CONFIG = Config::getConfig();
+
+        $view = $this->_bootstrap->getResource('view');
+
+        $baseUrl = Application_Common_OsPath::getBaseDir();
+
+        $view->headScript()->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/libs/jquery-1.8.3.min.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
+            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/libs/jquery-ui-1.8.24.min.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
+            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/bootstrap/bootstrap.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
+            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/libs/underscore-min.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
+
+            // ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/libs/jquery.stickyPanel.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
+            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/qtip/jquery.qtip.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
+            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/jplayer/jquery.jplayer.min.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
+            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/sprintf/sprintf-0.7-beta1.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
+            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/cookie/jquery.cookie.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
+            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/i18n/jquery.i18n.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
+            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'locale/general-translation-table?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
+            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'locale/datatables-translation-table?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
+
+            ->appendScript("$.i18n.setDictionary(general_dict)")
+            ->appendScript("var baseUrl='$baseUrl'");
+
+        //These timezones are needed to adjust javascript Date objects on the client to make sense to the user's set timezone
+        //or the server's set timezone.
+        $serverTimeZone = new DateTimeZone(Application_Model_Preference::GetDefaultTimezone());
+        $now = new DateTime("now", $serverTimeZone);
+        $offset = $now->format("Z") * -1;
+        $view->headScript()->appendScript("var serverTimezoneOffset = {$offset}; //in seconds");
+
+        if (class_exists("Zend_Auth", false) && Zend_Auth::getInstance()->hasIdentity()) {
+            $userTimeZone = new DateTimeZone(Application_Model_Preference::GetUserTimezone());
+            $now = new DateTime("now", $userTimeZone);
+            $offset = $now->format("Z") * -1;
+            $view->headScript()->appendScript("var userTimezoneOffset = {$offset}; //in seconds");
+        }
+
+        //scripts for now playing bar
+        $view->headScript()->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/airtime/airtime_bootstrap.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
+            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/airtime/dashboard/helperfunctions.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
+            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/airtime/dashboard/dashboard.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
+            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/airtime/dashboard/versiontooltip.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
+            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/tipsy/jquery.tipsy.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
+
+            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/airtime/common/common.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript')
+            ->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/airtime/common/audioplaytest.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript');
+
+        $user = Application_Model_User::getCurrentUser();
+        if (!is_null($user)) {
+            $userType = $user->getType();
+        } else {
+            $userType = "";
+        }
+
+        $view->headScript()->appendScript("var userType = '$userType';");
+        if (array_key_exists('REQUEST_URI', $_SERVER) //Doesn't exist for unit tests
+            && strpos($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'], 'Dashboard/stream-player') === false
+            && strpos($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'], 'audiopreview') === false
+            && $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] != "/") {
+            $plan_level = strval(Application_Model_Preference::GetPlanLevel());
+            // Since the Hobbyist plan doesn't come with Live Chat support, don't enable it
+            if (Application_Model_Preference::GetLiveChatEnabled() && $plan_level !== 'hobbyist') {
+                $client_id = strval(Application_Model_Preference::GetClientId());
+                $station_url = $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'] . $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'];
+                $view->headScript()->appendScript("var livechat_client_id = '$client_id';\n" .
+                    "var livechat_plan_type = '$plan_level';\n" .
+                    "var livechat_station_url = 'http://$station_url';");
+                $view->headScript()->appendFile($baseUrl . 'js/airtime/common/livechat.js?' . $CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'], 'text/javascript');
+            }
+        }
+
+        /*
+        if (isset($CC_CONFIG['demo']) && $CC_CONFIG['demo'] == 1) {
+            $view->headScript()->appendFile($baseUrl.'js/libs/google-analytics.js?'.$CC_CONFIG['airtime_version'],'text/javascript');
+        }*/
+    }
+
+    protected function _initViewHelpers()
+    {
+        $view = $this->_bootstrap->getResource('view');
+        $view->addHelperPath(APPLICATION_PATH . 'views/helpers', 'Airtime_View_Helper');
+        $view->assign('suspended', (Application_Model_Preference::getProvisioningStatus() == PROVISIONING_STATUS_SUSPENDED));
+    }
+
+    protected function _initTitle()
+    {
+        $view = $this->_bootstrap->getResource('view');
+        $view->headTitle(Application_Model_Preference::GetHeadTitle());
+    }
+}
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/forms/BillingClient.php b/airtime_mvc/application/forms/BillingClient.php
index 7cbac545d..098c004a4 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/forms/BillingClient.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/forms/BillingClient.php
@@ -188,6 +188,10 @@ class Application_Form_BillingClient extends Zend_Form
         $passwordVerify->addValidator($notEmptyValidator);
         $this->addElement($passwordVerify);
 
+        $this->addElement('hash', 'csrf', array(
+            'salt' => 'unique'
+        ));
+
         $submit = new Zend_Form_Element_Submit("submit");
         $submit->setIgnore(true)
                 ->setLabel(_pro("Save"));
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/forms/BillingUpgradeDowngrade.php b/airtime_mvc/application/forms/BillingUpgradeDowngrade.php
index ecf9b4f50..5ff4ff4de 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/forms/BillingUpgradeDowngrade.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/forms/BillingUpgradeDowngrade.php
@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@ class Application_Form_BillingUpgradeDowngrade extends Zend_Form
         $csrf_element->setValue($csrf_namespace->authtoken)->setRequired('true')->removeDecorator('HtmlTag')->removeDecorator('Label');
         $this->addElement($csrf_element);
 
+        $this->addElement('hash', 'csrf', array(
+            'salt' => 'unique'
+        ));
+
         $productPrices = array();
         $productTypes = array();       
         list($productPrices, $productTypes) = Billing::getProductPricesAndTypes();
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/models/Preference.php b/airtime_mvc/application/models/Preference.php
index e8bf5adf5..5003466ad 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/models/Preference.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/models/Preference.php
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ class Application_Model_Preference
     {
         //pass in true so the check is made with the autoloader
         //we need this check because saas calls this function from outside Zend
-        if (!class_exists("Zend_Auth", true) || !Zend_Auth::getInstance()->hasIdentity()) {
+        if (!class_exists("Zend_Session", true) || !Zend_Session::isStarted() || !class_exists("Zend_Auth", true) || !Zend_Auth::getInstance()->hasIdentity()) {
             $userId = null;
         } else {
             $auth = Zend_Auth::getInstance();
@@ -150,10 +150,14 @@ class Application_Model_Preference
         
         try {
             
-            $userId = self::getUserId();
-            
-            if ($isUserValue && is_null($userId))
-                throw new Exception("User id can't be null for a user preference.");
+            $userId = null;
+            if ($isUserValue) {
+                //This is nested in here because so we can still use getValue() when the session hasn't started yet.
+                $userId = self::getUserId();
+                if (is_null($userId)) {
+                    throw new Exception("User id can't be null for a user preference.");
+                }
+            }
 
             // If the value is already cached, return it
             $res = $cache->fetch($key, $isUserValue, $userId);
@@ -202,7 +206,7 @@ class Application_Model_Preference
         } 
         catch (Exception $e) {
             header('HTTP/1.0 503 Service Unavailable');
-            Logging::info("Could not connect to database: ".$e->getMessage());
+            Logging::info("Could not connect to database: ".$e);
             exit;
         }
     }
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/public/js/airtime/preferences/preferences.js b/airtime_mvc/public/js/airtime/preferences/preferences.js
index 40e267ecd..8850caa32 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/public/js/airtime/preferences/preferences.js
+++ b/airtime_mvc/public/js/airtime/preferences/preferences.js
@@ -114,16 +114,18 @@ function setMsAuthenticationFieldsReadonly(ele) {
 }
 
 function removeLogo() {
-    $.post(baseUrl+'preference/remove-logo', function(json){});
-    // Reload without resubmitting the form
-    location.href = location.href.replace(location.hash,"");
+    $.post(baseUrl+'preference/remove-logo', {'csrf_token' : $('#csrf').val()}, function(json){
+        // Reload without resubmitting the form
+        location.href = location.href.replace(location.hash,"");
+    });
 }
 
 function deleteAllFiles() {
     var resp = confirm($.i18n._("Are you sure you want to delete all the tracks in your library?"))
     if (resp) {
-        $.post(baseUrl+'preference/delete-all-files', function(json){});
-        location.reload();
+        $.post(baseUrl+'preference/delete-all-files', {'csrf_token' : $('#csrf').val()}, function(json){
+            location.reload();
+        });
     }
 }