Add this to functions.php of your child theme:

add_filter('body_class', 'adjust_body_class', 20, 2);
function adjust_body_class($wp_classes, $extra_classes) { 

if( is_page_template('new-sidebar-page-template-file-name.php') ) :
// Filter the body classes     

	  foreach($wp_classes as $key => $value) {
	  if ($value == 'singular') unset($wp_classes[$key]);
	  }

endif;
// Add the extra classes back untouched
return array_merge($wp_classes, (array) $extra_classes );
}

If you created more than one new page template with sidebar, change this one line in the code to something like:

if( is_page_template('new-sidebar-page-template-file-name.php') || is_page_template('another-sidebar-page-template.php') || is_page_template('further-sidebar-page-template.php') ) :

The above codes are similar to what I used in this recent article.

The question is how to post the caption with a post thumbnail, aka featured image, in an ordered way.

This code below is tested in wp3.3.

//POST THUMBNAIL AND CAPTION STYLED SIMILAR TO .wp-caption//
function the_post_thumbnail_and_caption($size = '', $attr = '') {
global $post;

$thumb_id = get_post_thumbnail_id($post->id);

$args = array(
'post_type' => 'attachment',
'post_status' => null,
'parent' => $post->ID,
'include'  => $thumb_id
);

$thumbnail_image = get_posts($args);

if ($thumb_id && $thumbnail_image && isset($thumbnail_image[0])) {

$image = wp_get_attachment_image_src( $thumb_id, $size );
$image_width = $image[1];

$output = '<div style="width: ' . ($image_width) . 'px">';

$attr['class'] = ''; //move any 'class' attributes to the outer div, and remove from the thumbnail

$output .= get_the_post_thumbnail($post->ID, $size, $attr);

/* //Uncomment to show thumbnail title
$title = $thumbnail_image[0]->post_title;
if($title) :
$output .= '<p>';
$output .= $title;
$output .= '</p>';
endif; */

/* //Uncomment to show the thumbnail caption */
$caption = $thumbnail_image[0]->post_excerpt;
if($caption) :
$output .= '<p>';
$output .= $caption;
$output .= '</p>';
endif;

/* //Uncomment to show the thumbnail description
$descr = $thumbnail_image[0]->post_content;
if($descr) :
$output .= '<p>';
$output .= $descr;
$output .= '</p>';
endif; */

/* //Uncomment to show the thumbnail alt field
$alt = get_post_meta($thumb_id, '_wp_attachment_image_alt', true);
if(count($alt)) :
$output .= '<p>';
$output .= $alt;
$output .= '</p>';
endif; */

$output .= '</div>';

}
echo $output;
}

(unfortunately, posting here removes the indents which would make the code easier to read)

Possible styles for that to make it look like an ordinary wp caption:

.thumbnail-caption { padding: 5px; background: #f5f5f5; border: 1px solid #ddd; }
.thumbnail-caption-text { text-align: center; margin-bottom: 5px; font-size: 90%; }
/*
.thumbnail-title-text { text-align: center; margin-bottom: 5px; font-size: 90%; }
.thumbnail-description-text { text-align: center; margin-bottom: 5px; font-size: 90%; }
.thumbnail-alt-text { text-align: center; margin-bottom: 5px; font-size: 90%; }
*/

Use the code in the template, for instance in single.php, with one of the registered thumbnail sizes as parameter; example:

<?php the_post_thumbnail_and_caption('large',array('class' => 'alignleft')); ?>

A huge ‘thank you’ to all the contributers to this topic in the forum.

However, they do preferably show a proper added meta description instead of the first few words of the post or page.

If you can enter this meta description into your WordPress blog or CMS, specifically for each post and static page, you can fine tune what you would like your customers to see with the search results.

Most users would download and install one of the many SEO plugins, which often come with a lot of unwanted features.

With a bit of programming, you can add your own ‘Meta Description Field’ below the post/page editor.

The first part of the code needs to be added into functions.php of your theme:

// 'Custom Meta Description' field below post/page editor
add_action('admin_menu', 'custom_meta_desc');
add_action('save_post', 'save_custom_meta_desc');
function custom_meta_desc() {
add_meta_box('custom_meta_desc', 'Add meta description <small>(if left empty, the first 200 characters of the excerpt will be used)</small>', 'custom_meta_desc_input_function', 'post', 'normal', 'high');
add_meta_box('custom_meta_desc', 'Add meta description <small>(if left empty, the first 200 characters of the excerpt will be used)</small>', 'custom_meta_desc_input_function', 'page', 'normal', 'high');
}
function custom_meta_desc_input_function() {
global $post;
echo '<input type="hidden" name="custom_meta_desc_input_hidden" id="custom_meta_desc_input_hidden" value="'.wp_create_nonce('custom-meta-desc-nonce').'" />';
echo '<input type="text" name="custom_meta_desc_input" id="custom_meta_desc_input" style="width:100%;" value="'.get_post_meta($post->ID,'_custom_meta_desc',true).'" />';
}
function save_custom_meta_desc($post_id) {
if (!wp_verify_nonce($_POST['custom_meta_desc_input_hidden'], 'custom-meta-desc-nonce')) return $post_id;
if (defined('DOING_AUTOSAVE') && DOING_AUTOSAVE) return $post_id;
$customMetaDesc = $_POST['custom_meta_desc_input'];
update_post_meta($post_id, '_custom_meta_desc', $customMetaDesc);
}

The second part will be added into header.php, below the <title> tag:

<meta name="description" content="<?php
if(is_singular() ) :
$text = get_post_meta($post->ID,'_custom_meta_desc',true);
if(!$text) $text = ($post->post_excerpt) ? $post->post_excerpt : substr($post->post_content, 0, 200).'...';
echo htmlentities(strip_tags(apply_filters('get_the_excerpt',$text)));
else :
/* optional area to program meta descriptions for index and archive pages, etc */
endif; ?>" />

'Meta Description Input' for posts and pages

The new input field will show directly below the post or page editor window.

Simply add your meta description text into the field, and press the usual ‘update’ button;
if left empty, the meta description will show the first 200 characters of the post or page.

The workshop was advertised as:
‘Moving From Sedation To Living On Soul Vibration – Rites Of Passage’.

From the content of Genesis’ website, I had no idea what to expect.

I was more or less just accompanying my wife Fiona who was going to make a documentary of the workshop and report on her own personal experiences (you can find details of the workshop on her site).

Generally, I do like challenges and workshops, and it had been a while since the last one.

this is me at the last day of the workshop - end of Nov - before the big changes

And on some level, I was at a point where a change to my lifestyle seemed to be something worthwhile to consider.

I was overeating on a ‘standard’ omnivore diet, binging from the fridge and biscuit cupboard, and gaining weight constantly.

I guess my BMI (body mass index) with an estimated 28 was well into the ‘overweight’ region; even being 1.83 m (over 8 ft) tall, my weight of over 93 kg (appr. 14 st 9 lbs) was definitively slowing me down.

Theoretically, I thought I knew about healthy eating, because, apart from many other qualifications, I have a diploma in Diet & Nutrition – but in real life, this had no effect on my eating habits.

Just to repeat: I was totally unprepared for what the workshop really was about.

The Friday evening was about the introduction to the two days of the ‘bootcamp’, to be prepared for eventualities, and about a assessment of each individuals fitness, and the proper preparation and use of the ‘salt water flush’. The goal of the workshop was to step the eating habits one step up towards freedom from food; i.e. from cooked food onmivore to raw food vegetarian; from raw food to living of fruit alone, and then to juices, and further – starting with the first day of the workshop.

The practical part started on Saturday morning at 5am with the actual salt water flush, and continued with physical exercises designed to carry each participant way beyond any pre-perceived limits (I must admit this was really hard work and totally exhausting for me).
The day ended with motivational talks by Genesis.

Sunday morning – again at 5am – saw another salt water flush, and more physical exercises (phew!! more hard work). And a final talk by Genesis about the downfalls of processed food, and the way ahead.

This guy is a brilliant teacher and motivator, who really knows how to deliver the message.

During these days I ate just one carrot and an orange, plus drank plenty water.  I must say that I have spend days in the past during which I virtually did not eat anything until tea time, so that was nothing particular diffficult for me. Although i had never in my recent past eaten so little.

Homework was to continue with the salt water flushes for the next five days, and to continue with a strict raw food diet focussed on fresh fruit and juices during that time – which we (my wife and I) did.
Since then we are eating mainly raw food daily (definitively over 98% raw), and are now enoying our new raw lifestyle.

first time on the scales - 1 month after the bootcamp

One month later, which happened to be on Christmas day: I got some new scales, and weighted myself for the first time, and the result was amazing – just below 80kg (appr. 12 st 8 lbs).
This is an estonishing estimated weight loss of 13 kg (appr. 2 st) in just over four weeks!
And without any hardship, no deprivation of tasty food, or extreme exercise; and despite continuing to prepare cooked and fried meals for the kids (who as a side effect started to accept salads and freshly juiced drinks as well   )

In these last four weeks I simply felt lighter, stood straighter, had general more energy.

We are continuing the raw food lifestyle, and are having fun with it.

smoked scottish salmon on mooli with wasabi, dill and lemon

On Christmas, day we started off with a (nearly*) raw brunch:
smoked Scottish salmon (my first animal product in these four weeks) on oat crackers*, with  mooli, mushrooms, wasabi, dill, and lemon, together with one glass of bubbly*.

coleslaw with brussel sprouts, red cabbage, parsnips and carrots

Christmas dinner was a raw nut loaf with a coleslaw of Brussel sprouts, red cabbage, parsnips and carrot (just olive oil, no majo) with guacamole – (plus two roast potatoes* and other trimmings* borrowed from the more traditional cooked dinner the rest of the family was eating).

 My advice: don’t take things too serious during your transition to total raw food, and enjoy every new discovery of appetizing raw food combinations. Eating raw is fun. Get inspired by raw food recipes but don’t get hung up on replicating those ‘gourmet’ raw food ones with all those exotic ingredients. The simpler the better.

And do book the next available workshop with Genesis - you’ll never know where the changes will lead you.

update: 7 weeks after the retreat – my weight is down to about 78kg and seems to stagnate; I feel I have reached some emotional barrier which makes it more difficult for me to focus on this pure raw food lifestyle.

Caveat: if you have watched the articles and video documentation of the workshop, do not attempt to do this transition just based on this information alone – there is far more to it than any video or textual instruction can teach. You will be very likely to meet  major obstacles much earlier than anticipated. This is not a weight-loss diet – it might happen, but weight loss is not the main goal for this transition.

Disclaimer:This article is not designed to provide medical advice or professional services. It is intended to be for educational use only. The information provided in this article is not a substitute for professional care and should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. If you have, or suspect you may have, a health problem you should consult your doctor.

The following codes refer to a child theme of Twenty Eleven.

If you don’t want to follow the steps outlined in the Codex, you can download a ready-made child theme from quirm.net.

First step: in your child theme folder, create two new page templates – one for a fixed sidebar on the left, and the other for the sidebar on the right.

To begin with, copy the code of sidebar-page.php, and save it as sidebar-left-page.php and sidebar-right-page.php, resp.

The file names are important as they refer to the same names in the code for functions.php.

Second step: Change the line ‘ * Template Name: Sidebar Template’ to ‘ * Template Name: Left  Sidebar Template’ and ‘ * Template Name: Right Sidebar Template’, resp.; save the files.

Third step: add the following code to functions.php of your child theme:

function twentyeleven_child_pagetemplates_body_classes( $wp_classes, $extra ){

  $classes = array();

  if( is_page_template( 'sidebar-left-page.php' ) ) :
  // correction for the Left Sidebar Template
    $classes[] = 'left-sidebar';
    $blacklist = array('right-sidebar','singular');
    // Filter the body classes
    foreach( $blacklist as $val ) {
      if (!in_array($val, $wp_classes)) : continue;
      else:
      foreach($wp_classes as $key => $value) {
        if ($value == $val) unset($wp_classes[$key]);
      }
      endif;
    }
  endif;

  if( is_page_template( 'sidebar-right-page.php' ) ) :
  // correction for the Right Sidebar Template
    $classes[] = 'right-sidebar';
    $blacklist = array('left-sidebar','singular');
    // Filter the body classes
    foreach( $blacklist as $val ) {
      if (!in_array($val, $wp_classes)) : continue;
      else:
      foreach($wp_classes as $key => $value) {
        if ($value == $val) unset($wp_classes[$key]);
      }
      endif;
    }
  endif;

return array_merge($wp_classes, (array) $extra, $classes );
}

add_filter( 'body_class', 'twentyeleven_child_pagetemplates_body_classes', 20, 2 );

That code will correct the body_classes of the theme, which are central to the layout of your site.

Finished.

Now you will have two more page templates available in the ‘page attributes’ section when you create or edit a static page.

The sidebar position of these pages will be independant of the theme options (as long as one of the ‘content with sidebar’ options is ticked).

The default advice usually is to use a counter variable and a conditional statement to check for the first post in the loop; that approach obviously works fine, however requires a few lines of extra code before and in the loop.

A more condensed approach is to use $wp_query->current_post which returns the current post number in the loop, starting with 0 (zero) for the first post.

This can be combined with a check, if the page is really the first page, and not one of the paginated pages, using !is_paged().

If the goal is just to apply different css styles to the first post, it is best to add a unique css class to the post_class() which is used in most recent themes; like so: post_class($extra); to add the extra class to post_class.

All combined might look like (based on the code of content.php in Twenty Eleven):

<article id="post-<?php the_ID(); ?>" <?php $extra = ( $wp_query->current_post == 0 && !is_paged() ) ? 'specialclass' : ''; post_class($extra); ?>>

If the goal is to have a totally different output for the first post, then a conditional structure is needed (within the loop, wrapping the post output):

<?php if( $wp_query->current_post == 0 && !is_paged() ) : ?>
/*the output of the first post*?
<?php else : ?>
/*the output of all other posts*/
<?php endif; ?>

The solution lies in the responsive structure of the stylesheet.

This adaptation to the styles needs to be added at the end of style.css of (your child theme of) Twenty Eleven; some example styles, to set a lower limit to the page width, etc:

/* =Responsive Structure for narrow screens
* to keep min width and sidebar
-------------------------------------------- */
@media (max-width: 800px) {
     #page {
	   min-width: 500px;
         }
/* keep the sidebar - for right sidebar */
	.right-sidebar #main #content {
		margin: 0 29% 0 1%;
		width: 70%;
	}
	.right-sidebar #main #secondary {
		float: right;
		margin: 0 1% 0 1%;
		width: 24%;
	}
/* keep the sidebar - for left sidebar */
	.left-sidebar #main #content {
		margin: 0 1% 0 29%;
		width: 70%;
	}
	.left-sidebar #main #secondary {
		float: right;
		margin: 0 -1% 0 2%;
		width: 24%;
	}
/* correction for 'showcase' template */
	.page-template-showcase-php #main #primary.showcase {
		float: right;
		margin: 0 2% 0 2%;
		width: 96%;
	}
	.page-template-showcase-php #main #primary.showcase #content {
		margin: 0 6% 0 6%;
		width: 88%;
	}
	.page-template-showcase-php section.recent-posts {
		float: right;
		margin-right: 0pt;
		margin-left: 31%;
		width: 69%;
	}
	.page-template-showcase-php #main .widget-area {
		float: left;
		margin-right: -22.15%;
		margin-left: 0pt;
		width: 22.15%;
	}
/* correction for singular posts/pages without sidebar */
	.singular #main #content {
		margin: 0 8% 0 8%;
		width: 84%;
	}
/* keep floating footer widgets side-by-side at this size */
     #colophon #supplementary .widget-area {
          float: left;
          margin-right: 1%;
          width: 32%;
     }
}

The whole css got a bit longer than expected to care for the ‘showcase’ template, and all possible layout options.
Adjust the ‘minimum width’ to fit the screen width of the targeted hand-held device.
If you are using it with an alredy customized child theme of Twenty ten, you may need to adjusts some of the values and/or add more styles.

Not actually widely tested with iPhone^®, iPad^® or any other tablet PCs – all feedback is very welcome.

The stylesheet dark.css of the parent theme gets enqueued in twentyeleven/inc/theme-options.php (line 319):

/**
 * Enqueue the styles for the current color scheme.
 *
 * @since Twenty Eleven 1.0
 */
...etc...

Therefore, the dark.css of the child theme needs to be enqueued with a different priority; which can be done by adding a corresponding, adapted code into functions.php of your child theme. This code checks if the ‘dark’ color scheme is selected, and only then enqueues the /colors/dark.css of the child theme, thus allowing full color control from the theme options in the dashboard:

/** Enqueue the stylesheet for the current color scheme into the child theme. */
function twentyelevenchild_enqueue_color_scheme() {
	$options = twentyeleven_get_theme_options();
	$color_scheme = $options['color_scheme'];
	if ( 'dark' == $color_scheme )
		wp_enqueue_style( 'dark_child', get_stylesheet_directory_uri() . '/colors/dark.css', array(), null );
	do_action( 'twentyelevenchild_enqueue_color_scheme', 'dark_child' );
}
add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', 'twentyelevenchild_enqueue_color_scheme', 11);

Now you can edit dark.css in your child theme, and add all the customisations to it.

First step

Create a child theme.

- create a new sub-folder under the /wp-content/themes folder, for instance: twentyelevenchild;
- add a style.css file to that folder; content:

/*
Theme Name: Twenty Eleven Child
Author: alchymyth
Description: a child theme, based on the 2011 theme for WordPress
Author URI: http://wordpress.org/
Template: twentyeleven
*/

@import url(../twentyeleven/style.css);

- add a functions.php file to that folder; to be used later;
- optional: add a screenshot.jpg image to that folder, depicting the design of your child theme.

Second step

Add the call of the sidebar back.

Edit single.php and/or page.php and add

<?php get_sidebar(); ?>

before the line

<?php get_footer(); ?>

Third step

Suppress the .singular body_class from the single post or page.

To achieve this, add a filter to your new functions.php in your child theme folder.

add_filter('body_class', 'blacklist_body_class', 20, 2);
function blacklist_body_class($wp_classes, $extra_classes) {
if( is_single() || is_page() ) :
// List of the classes to remove from the WP generated classes
$blacklist = array('singular');
// Filter the body classes
  foreach( $blacklist as $val ) {
    if (!in_array($val, $wp_classes)) : continue;
    else:
	  foreach($wp_classes as $key => $value) {
	  if ($value == $val) unset($wp_classes[$key]);
	  }
    endif;
  }
endif;   // Add the extra classes back untouched
return array_merge($wp_classes, (array) $extra_classes);
}

(resources:

http://dev-tips.com/featured/remove-an-item-from-an-array-by-value

http://wordpress.stackexchange.com/questions/15850/remove-classes-from-body-class )

Fourth step

Fine-tuning of style.css

For instance:

.single #author-info {
	background: #f9f9f9;
	border-top: 1px solid #ddd;
	border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd;
	margin: 2.2em 0% 0 0%;
	padding: 20px 35.4%;
}

There might be some more details which can be changed while customizing the styles of the child theme.

edit: thanks to member smijos of the wordpress support forum:
some more styles, for the comment section, to make the theme look good:

#respond {
width: auto;
}
.commentlist {
width: auto;
}
.commentlist > li.comment {
margin: 0px 0px 20px 102px;
width: auto;
}

PS: A Few Different Cases

(updated and expanded)

this all concerns this line of code:

if( is_single() || is_page() ) :

1) if you rather use the sidebar-page template that comes with the theme, to control if and when to show a sidebar on a static page, simply don’t edit page.php, and remove

|| is_page()

from that line.

2) Zeaks pointed out that the code also effects single attachment pages.

if you want the sidebar in these pages, edit image.php and add

<?php get_sidebar(); ?>

before the ‘get_footer’ line; also adapt the style of

.image-attachment div.attachment

.

if you want your single attachment pages without sidebar, change to:

if( (is_single() && !is_attachment()) || is_page() ) :

PPS

If you don’t like coding, please do still create the child theme; however, for the rest, there is a plugin available:
‘Twenty Eleven Theme Extensions’

The core trick to generate different css classes for posts in the first coliumn, the second column, and the last column:

<?php $column = ($column == '') ? 'first' : (($column == 'first') ? 'middle' : (($column == 'middle') ? 'last' : 'first' )); ?>

This line of code needs to be within the loop, just before the post div.

To achieve more or less the same, you could obviously also use a counter variable and the modulus operator, as i have elaborated on in my earlier article ‘More-Than-Zebra style WordPress loop’. However, the above method is simpler and easier to apply within a single line of code.

The second step is to add this as a css class to the post div:

a – assume a theme without the use of ‘post_class()’; the typical opening div would look like:

<div class="post" id="post-<?php the_ID(); ?>">

This is changed into:

<div class="post <?php echo $column; ?>" id="post-<?php the_ID(); ?>">

b – in a theme using the ‘post_class()’, the new code would look like:

<div <?php post_class($column); ?> id="post-<?php the_ID(); ?>">

Third and last step: to tell the browser what to do with the new css classes, add some styles to style.css of the theme:

/* .first, .middle, .last styling of posts on home page for three column */
.first, .middle, .last { width: 32%; float:left; clear:none!important; }
.first { margin-right: 2%; clear:both!important; }
.middle { margin-right: 2%; }

Final details depend on the existing theme.

edit & ps:
if you just want to mark the first post in each row – for instance to add the ‘clear:both;’ and a different margin there – try to work with:
(example for 5 columns)

<div <?php $column = ($wp_query->current_post%5 == 0) ? 'first' : ''; post_class($column); ?> id="post-<?php the_ID(); ?>">