diff --git a/gramps-mdk.spec b/gramps-mdk.spec
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..006380c84
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gramps-mdk.spec
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+%define ver      1.0.0
+%define rel      0.CVS20040120
+%define prefix   /usr
+%define localstatedir /var/lib
+# Ensure that internal RPM macros for configure & makeinstall 
+# will expand properly
+%define _prefix   %prefix
+%define _localstatedir %localstatedir
+
+Summary:   Genealogical Research and Analysis Management Programming System.
+Name:      gramps
+Version:   %ver
+Release:   %rel
+License:   GPL
+Group:     Applications/Genealogy
+Source:    http://download.sourceforge.net/gramps/gramps-%{ver}.tar.gz
+BuildRoot: /var/tmp/%{name}-%{version}-root
+
+URL:       http://gramps.sourceforge.net/
+
+Requires:  python >= 2.2
+Requires:  gnome-python >= 1.99
+Requires:  gnome-python-gconf >= 1.99
+Requires:  gnome-python-canvas >= 1.99
+Requires:  gnome-python-gnomevfs >= 1.99
+Requires:  pygtk2.0-libglade >= 1.99
+
+BuildRequires: scrollkeeper >= 0.3.5
+BuildRequires: automake >= 1.6
+BuildRequires: autoconf >= 2.52
+BuildRequires: rpm >= 4.1
+BuildRequires: desktop-file-utils >= 0.2.92
+
+%description
+gramps (Genealogical Research and Analysis Management Programming
+System) is a GNOME based genealogy program supporting a Python
+based plugin system.
+
+%prep
+%setup
+
+%build
+if [ ! -f configure ]; then
+  CFLAGS="$MYCFLAGS" ./autogen.sh $MYARCH_FLAGS --prefix=%prefix \
+    --localstatedir=%localstatedir --bindir=%{_bindir} \
+    --mandir=%{_mandir} --libdir=%{_libdir} --datadir=%{_datadir} \
+    --includedir=%{_includedir} --sysconfdir=%{_sysconfdir}
+else
+  CFLAGS="$MYCFLAGS" %configure
+fi
+
+CFLAGS="$RPM_OPT_FLAGS" make
+
+%install
+rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT
+
+%makeinstall
+mkdir $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_datadir}/applications
+desktop-file-install --vendor gramps --delete-original \
+	--dir $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_datadir}/applications  \
+	--add-category Application                     \
+	--add-category Utility                         \
+	$RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_datadir}/gnome/apps/Applications/gramps.desktop
+%find_lang gramps
+rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT/%{_localstatedir}/scrollkeeper/
+
+%clean
+rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT
+
+%files -f gramps.lang
+%defattr(-, root, root)
+
+%doc AUTHORS COPYING COPYING-DOCS ChangeLog FAQ INSTALL NEWS README TODO 
+%doc %{_mandir}/man1/*
+
+%{prefix}/bin/gramps
+
+%{_datadir}/applications/*
+%{_datadir}/pixmaps/gramps.png
+
+%{_libdir}/gramps
+%{_datadir}/gramps
+%{_datadir}/omf/gramps
+
+%post
+if which scrollkeeper-update>/dev/null 2>&1; then scrollkeeper-update; fi
+
+%postun
+if which scrollkeeper-update>/dev/null 2>&1; then scrollkeeper-update; fi
+ 
+%changelog
+* Tue Dec  2 2003 Tim Waugh <twaugh@redhat.com>
+- More docs.
+- Change Copyright: to License:.
+
+* Fri Sep 19 2003 Tim Waugh <twaugh@redhat.com>
+- Own %%{_datadir/gramps directory.
+- Ship %%{_libdir}/gramps.
+* Mon May 20 2003 Donald Peterson <dpeterson@sigmaxi.org>
+- Override RPMs default of localstatedir to /var/lib..
+  This is done in accordance with GNOME and FHS compliance guidelines 
+  (http://fedora.mplug.org/docs/rpm-packaging-guidelines.html)
+- Use %find_lang macro to get NLS files
+- Set %doc tags on appropriate files
+- Remove temporary scrollkeeper-created files from install before packaging
+  to avoid rpm 4.1 complaints.  (These aren't needed in the distribution.)
+- Use default scrollkeeper-update scripts
+* Mon Mar 24 2003 Alex Roitman <shura@alex.neuro.umn.edu>
+- update scrollkeeper dependencies and add post and postun to enable install on a machine without scrollkeeper
+* Fri Jun 14 2002 Donald Peterson <dpeterso@engr.ors.edu>
+- add scrollkeeper dependencies and some file cleanup
diff --git a/src/docgen/PdfDoc.py b/src/docgen/PdfDoc.py
index c46d759d6..14b6e1e9e 100644
--- a/src/docgen/PdfDoc.py
+++ b/src/docgen/PdfDoc.py
@@ -78,6 +78,13 @@ class GrampsDocTemplate(BaseDocTemplate):
         self._calc()	
         BaseDocTemplate.build(self,flowables)
 
+def enc(s):
+    try:
+        new_s = s
+        return new_s.encode('iso-8859-1')
+    except:
+        return str(s)
+    
 #------------------------------------------------------------------------
 #
 # 
@@ -199,7 +206,7 @@ class PdfDoc(BaseDoc.BaseDoc):
 
     def end_paragraph(self):
         if self.in_table == 0 and self.image == 0:
-	    self.story.append(Paragraph(self.text.encode('iso-8859-1'),self.current_para))
+	    self.story.append(Paragraph(enc(self.text),self.current_para))
         else:
             self.image = 0
 
@@ -511,7 +518,7 @@ class PdfDoc(BaseDoc.BaseDoc):
         fc = make_color(font.get_color())
         s = reportlab.graphics.shapes.String(x*cm,
                                              yt,
-                                             text.encode('iso-8859-1'),
+                                             enc(text),
                                              fontName=fnt,
                                              fontSize=font.get_size(),
                                              strokeColor=sc,
@@ -532,7 +539,7 @@ class PdfDoc(BaseDoc.BaseDoc):
         for text in lines:
             s = reportlab.graphics.shapes.String(start_x*cm,
                                                  start_y*cm,
-                                                 text.encode('iso-8859-1'),
+                                                 enc(text),
                                                  fontName=fnt,
                                                  fontSize=size,
                                                  strokeColor=sc,
@@ -551,7 +558,7 @@ class PdfDoc(BaseDoc.BaseDoc):
         for text in lines:
             s = reportlab.graphics.shapes.String(start_x,
                                                  start_y,
-                                                 text.encode('iso-8859-1'),
+                                                 enc(text),
                                                  fontSize=size,
                                                  strokeColor=sc,
                                                  fillColor=fc,