diff --git a/examples/georss-flickr.html b/examples/georss-flickr.html
index 7780bef6d0..bc76d0b601 100644
--- a/examples/georss-flickr.html
+++ b/examples/georss-flickr.html
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
             
             // If the above rule does not apply, use a smaller pointRadius.
             var elseRule = new OpenLayers.Rule({
+                    elseFilter: true,
                     symbolizer: {"Point": {pointRadius: 20}}});
             
             style.addRules([rule, elseRule]);
@@ -69,7 +70,7 @@
             
             popupControl.activate();
             
-            OpenLayers.loadURL("xml/georss-flickr.xml", "", null, afterload);
+            OpenLayers.loadURL("xml/georss-flickr.xml", null, window, afterload);
             
         }
         
@@ -88,13 +89,9 @@
             var store = new OpenLayers.Format.GeoRSS({
                     createFeatureFromItem: createFeatureFromItem});
 
-            rss = store.read(req.responseXML);
+            rss = store.read(req.responseText);
 
-            // get the title of the RSS feed
-            var title = req.responseXML.getElementsByTagName("title")[0]
-                    .firstChild.nodeValue;
-                    
-            markerLayer.setName(title);
+            markerLayer.setName("Some images from Flickr");
             markerLayer.addFeatures(rss);
         }
     </script>
diff --git a/lib/OpenLayers/Format/SLD.js b/lib/OpenLayers/Format/SLD.js
index 942f73b540..24a20df762 100644
--- a/lib/OpenLayers/Format/SLD.js
+++ b/lib/OpenLayers/Format/SLD.js
@@ -207,9 +207,16 @@ OpenLayers.Format.SLD = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Format.XML, {
         if (filter && filter.length > 0) {
             var rule = this.parseFilter(filter[0]);
         } else {
-            // rule applies to all features (no filter or ElseFilter)
+            // start with an empty rule that always applies
             var rule = new OpenLayers.Rule();
+            // and check if the rule is an ElseFilter
+            var elseFilter = this.getElementsByTagNameNS(xmlNode, this.ogcns,
+                "ElseFilter");
+            if (elseFilter && elseFilter.length > 0) {
+                rule.elseFilter = true;
+            }
         }
+        
         rule.name = name;
         
         // SCALE DENOMINATORS
diff --git a/lib/OpenLayers/Rule.js b/lib/OpenLayers/Rule.js
index c207688b92..9f6cb3329c 100644
--- a/lib/OpenLayers/Rule.js
+++ b/lib/OpenLayers/Rule.js
@@ -20,6 +20,16 @@ OpenLayers.Rule = OpenLayers.Class({
      */
     name: 'default',
 
+    /**
+     * Property: elseFilter
+     * {Boolean} Determines whether this rule is only to be applied only if
+     * no other rules match (ElseFilter according to the SLD specification). 
+     * Default is false.  For instances of OpenLayers.Rule, if elseFilter is
+     * false, the rule will always apply.  For subclasses, the else property is 
+     * ignored.
+     */
+    elseFilter: false,
+    
     /**
      * Property: symbolizer
      * {Object} Hash of styles for this rule. Contains hashes of feature
diff --git a/lib/OpenLayers/Style.js b/lib/OpenLayers/Style.js
index a5f1dd920b..3ac971d03e 100644
--- a/lib/OpenLayers/Style.js
+++ b/lib/OpenLayers/Style.js
@@ -111,12 +111,13 @@ OpenLayers.Style = OpenLayers.Class({
         var style = OpenLayers.Util.extend({}, this.defaultStyle);
         
         var rules = this.rules;
-        var draw = rules.length == 0 ? true : false;
 
         var rule;
-        for (var i=0; i<rules.length; i++) {
+        var elseRules = [];
+        var appliedRules = false;
+        for(var i=0; i<rules.length; i++) {
             rule = rules[i];
-            // does the rule apply?        
+            // does the rule apply?
             var applies = rule.evaluate(feature);
             
             if (rule.minScaleDenominator || rule.maxScaleDenominator) {
@@ -132,33 +133,59 @@ OpenLayers.Style = OpenLayers.Class({
                 applies = scale < OpenLayers.Style.createLiteral(
                         rule.maxScaleDenominator, feature);
             }
-            
-            if (draw && rule.CLASS_NAME == "OpenLayers.Rule") {
-                // apply plain rules only if no other applied (ElseFilter)
-                applies = false;
+
+            if(applies) {
+                if(rule instanceof OpenLayers.Rule && rule.elseFilter) {
+                    elseRules.push(rule);
+                } else {
+                    appliedRules = true;
+                    this.applySymbolizer(rule, style, feature);
+                }
             }
-
-            if (applies) {
-                draw = true;
-
-                // determine which symbolizer (Point, Line, Polygon) to use
-                var symbolizerPrefix = feature.geometry ?
-                        this.getSymbolizerPrefix(feature.geometry) :
-                        OpenLayers.Style.SYMBOLIZER_PREFIXES[0];
-
-                // merge the style with the current style
-                var symbolizer = this.rules[i].symbolizer[symbolizerPrefix];
-                OpenLayers.Util.extend(style, symbolizer);
+        }
+        
+        // if no other rules apply, apply the rules with else filters
+        if(appliedRules == false && elseRules.length > 0) {
+            appliedRules = true;
+            for(var i=0; i<elseRules.length; i++) {
+                this.applySymbolizer(elseRules[i], style, feature);
             }
         }
 
         // calculate literals for all styles in the propertyStyles cache
         this.createLiterals(style, feature);
-        style.display = draw ? "" : "none";
+
+        // don't display if there were rules but none applied
+        if(rules.length > 0 && appliedRules == false) {
+            style.display = "none";
+        } else {
+            style.display = "";
+        }
         
         return style;
     },
     
+    /**
+     * Method: applySymbolizer
+     *
+     * Parameters:
+     * rule - {OpenLayers.Rule}
+     * style - {Object}
+     * feature - {<OpenLayer.Feature.Vector>}
+     *
+     * Returns:
+     * {Object} A style with new symbolizer applied.
+     */
+    applySymbolizer: function(rule, style, feature) {
+        var symbolizerPrefix = feature.geometry ?
+                this.getSymbolizerPrefix(feature.geometry) :
+                OpenLayers.Style.SYMBOLIZER_PREFIXES[0];
+
+        // merge the style with the current style
+        var symbolizer = rule.symbolizer[symbolizerPrefix];
+        return OpenLayers.Util.extend(style, symbolizer);
+    },
+    
     /**
      * Method: createLiterals
      * creates literals for all style properties that have an entry in
diff --git a/tests/test_Style.html b/tests/test_Style.html
index 17d3184cba..3c9af04ea2 100644
--- a/tests/test_Style.html
+++ b/tests/test_Style.html
@@ -87,6 +87,33 @@
         createdStyle = style.createStyle(feature);
         t.eq(createdStyle.fillColor, baseStyle.fillColor, "Correct style for rule that does not apply to fid=\"2\".");
     }
+    
+    function test_Style_createStyle(t) {
+        t.plan(2);
+        var style = new OpenLayers.Style();
+        var rule = new OpenLayers.Rule({
+            id: Math.random()
+        });
+        var elseRule = new OpenLayers.Rule({
+            id: Math.random(),
+            elseFilter: true
+        });
+        style.addRules([rule, elseRule]);
+
+        // test that applySymbolizer is only called with rule
+        style.applySymbolizer = function(r) {
+            t.eq(r.id, rule.id, "(plain) applySymbolizer called with correct rule");
+        }
+        style.createStyle(new OpenLayers.Feature.Vector());
+
+        rule.evaluate = function() {return false;};
+        style.applySymbolizer = function(r) {
+            t.eq(r.id, elseRule.id, "(else) applySymbolizer called with correct rule");
+        }
+        style.createStyle(new OpenLayers.Feature.Vector());
+
+
+    }
 
     function test_Style_destroy(t) {
         t.plan(1);