diff --git a/app/controllers/admin_controller.rb b/app/controllers/admin_controller.rb
index 369bb8ec7..7b4e326ad 100644
--- a/app/controllers/admin_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/admin_controller.rb
@@ -144,9 +144,9 @@ class AdminController < ApplicationController
   #首页定制
   def first_page_made
     if request.get?
-      @first_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first
+      @first_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('project')
     elsif request.post?
-      @first_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first
+      @first_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('project')
       @first_page.web_title = params[:web_title]
       @first_page.description = params[:first_page][:description]
       #@first_page.title = params[:title]
@@ -179,11 +179,11 @@ class AdminController < ApplicationController
 
   def course_page_made
     if request.get?
-      @course_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'course'").first
-      @first_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first
+      @course_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('course')
+      @first_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('project')
     elsif request.post?
-      @first_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first
-      @course_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'course'").first
+      @first_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('project')
+      @course_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('course')
       @first_page.web_title = params[:web_title]
       @course_page.web_title = params[:web_title]
       @course_page.title = params[:course_title]
@@ -215,12 +215,12 @@ class AdminController < ApplicationController
 
   def contest_page_made
     if request.get?
-      @contest_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'contest'").first
-      @first_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first
+      @contest_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('contest')
+      @first_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('project')
       @notification = ContestNotification.first;
     elsif request.post?
-      @first_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first
-      @contest_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'contest'").first
+      @first_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('project')
+      @contest_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('contest')
       @notification = ContestNotification.first;
       @first_page.web_title = params[:web_title]
       @contest_page.web_title = params[:web_title]
@@ -255,10 +255,10 @@ class AdminController < ApplicationController
   def web_footer_made
     if request.get?
       @organizer = WebFooterOranizer.first
-      @first_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first
+      @first_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('project')
       #@notification = ContestNotification.all.first;
     elsif request.post?
-      @first_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first
+      @first_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('project')
       @first_page.web_title = params[:web_title]
       @organizer = WebFooterOranizer.first
       if @organizer.nil?
diff --git a/app/controllers/application_controller.rb b/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
index ef6bd7582..7f3dc0203 100644
--- a/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
@@ -754,7 +754,7 @@ class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base
 
   #查找首页相关信息
   def find_first_page
-    @first_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first
+    @first_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('project')
     if @first_page.nil?
       @first_page = FirstPage.new
       @first_page.page_type = 'project'
diff --git a/app/controllers/bids_controller.rb b/app/controllers/bids_controller.rb
index cce93d86a..a050eb7f2 100644
--- a/app/controllers/bids_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/bids_controller.rb
@@ -1011,7 +1011,7 @@ class BidsController < ApplicationController
 
   #验证是否显示课程
   def can_show_course
-    @first_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first
+    @first_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('project')
     if @first_page.show_course == 2
       render_404
     end
@@ -1019,7 +1019,7 @@ class BidsController < ApplicationController
 
   #验证是否显示竞赛
   def can_show_contest
-    @first_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first
+    @first_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('project')
     if @first_page.show_contest == 2
       render_404
     end
diff --git a/app/controllers/contests_controller.rb b/app/controllers/contests_controller.rb
index f3b471a6a..204dcc201 100644
--- a/app/controllers/contests_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/contests_controller.rb
@@ -707,7 +707,7 @@ class ContestsController < ApplicationController
 
   #验证是否显示竞赛
   def can_show_contest
-    @first_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first
+    @first_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('project')
     if @first_page.show_contest == 2
       render_404
     end
diff --git a/app/controllers/courses_controller.rb b/app/controllers/courses_controller.rb
index 01945358d..766967e38 100644
--- a/app/controllers/courses_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/courses_controller.rb
@@ -696,7 +696,7 @@ class CoursesController < ApplicationController
 
   #验证是否显示课程
   def can_show_course
-    @first_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first
+    @first_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('project')
     if @first_page.show_course == 2
        render_404
     end
diff --git a/app/controllers/homework_attach_controller.rb b/app/controllers/homework_attach_controller.rb
index 030c8d1b1..27a221266 100644
--- a/app/controllers/homework_attach_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/homework_attach_controller.rb
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ class HomeworkAttachController < ApplicationController
 
   #验证是否显示课程
   def can_show_course
-    @first_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first
+    @first_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('project')
     if @first_page.show_course == 2
       render_404
     end
diff --git a/app/controllers/users_controller.rb b/app/controllers/users_controller.rb
index d05447d06..9d1bb1472 100644
--- a/app/controllers/users_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/users_controller.rb
@@ -821,7 +821,7 @@ class UsersController < ApplicationController
 
   #验证是否显示课程
   def can_show_course
-    @first_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first
+    @first_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('project')
     if @first_page.show_course == 2
       render_404
     end
diff --git a/app/controllers/welcome_controller.rb b/app/controllers/welcome_controller.rb
index 2e1d5349f..2a5792e36 100644
--- a/app/controllers/welcome_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/welcome_controller.rb
@@ -25,8 +25,6 @@ class WelcomeController < ApplicationController
   before_filter :entry_select, :only => [:index]
  
   def index
-    #@first_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first
-    #@show_course = @first_page.show_course
     if @first_page.nil? ||  @first_page.sort_type.nil?
       @projects = find_miracle_project(10, 3,"score desc")
     else
@@ -61,12 +59,7 @@ class WelcomeController < ApplicationController
   end
   
   def course
-    @course_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'course'").first
-    #if params[:school_id]
-    #  @school_id = params[:school_id]
-    #elsif User.current.logged?  && User.current.user_extensions.try(:school)
-    #  @school_id = User.current.user_extensions.school.try(:id)
-    #end
+    @course_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('course')
     @school_id = params[:school_id] || User.current.user_extensions.school.try(:id)
     @logoLink ||= logolink()
   end
@@ -74,7 +67,7 @@ class WelcomeController < ApplicationController
   
   
  def logolink()
-   @course_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'course'").first
+   @course_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('course')
    logo = get_avatar?(@course_page)
     id = params[:school_id]
     logo_link = ""
@@ -110,7 +103,7 @@ class WelcomeController < ApplicationController
   
   
   def contest
-    @contest_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'contest'").first
+    @contest_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('contest')
     @contest_notifications = Contestnotification.order("created_at desc").limit(5)
   end
 
@@ -150,7 +143,6 @@ class WelcomeController < ApplicationController
   private
   # 判断网站的入口，是课程 course 则跳过index去渲染 course 方法
   def entry_select
-    #@first_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first
     url = request.original_url.gsub('/','')
     if url.include?(Setting.host_course.gsub('/',''))
       if @first_page.show_course == 1
diff --git a/app/helpers/application_helper.rb b/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
index cdb71170d..bcba064ec 100644
--- a/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
@@ -652,7 +652,7 @@ module ApplicationHelper
     if(args == ["/"])
       args = []
     end
-    first_page = FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first
+    first_page = FirstPage.find_by_page_type('project')
     if args.empty?
       title = @html_title || []
       title << @project.name if @project
diff --git a/app/views/layouts/base_courses.html.erb b/app/views/layouts/base_courses.html.erb
index 91ab68fdf..1c1e6dbd2 100644
--- a/app/views/layouts/base_courses.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/layouts/base_courses.html.erb
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@
       </div>
 
       <div style="padding-bottom: 8px">
-        <% if @course.description && @course.description.lstrip.rstrip.size>0 %>
+        <% if @course.description && !@course.description.blank? %>
             <div class="font_lighter_sidebar" style="word-break:break-all; word-wrap:break-word;">
 
               <%= textilizable @course.description %>
diff --git a/lib/redmine.rb b/lib/redmine.rb
index 708d25829..db91d7a54 100644
--- a/lib/redmine.rb
+++ b/lib/redmine.rb
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ Redmine::MenuManager.map :course_menu do |menu|
 end
 Redmine::MenuManager.map :user_menu do |menu|
   menu.push :activity, {:controller => 'users', :action => 'show', :host => Setting.user_domain }
-  menu.push :user_course, {:controller => 'users', :action => 'user_courses'},:if => Proc.new {|c| FirstPage.where("page_type = 'project'").first.show_course != 2}
+  menu.push :user_course, {:controller => 'users', :action => 'user_courses'},:if => Proc.new {|c| FirstPage.find_by_page_type('project').show_course != 2}
   #menu.push :user_homework, {:controller => 'users', :action => 'user_homeworks'} by huang
   menu.push :user_project, {:controller => 'users', :action => 'user_projects', :host => Setting.project_domain}  
   # menu.push :requirement_focus, {:controller => 'users', :action => 'watch_bids'} by huang