diff --git a/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/dialogs/clustering-dialog.js b/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/dialogs/clustering-dialog.js
index 785084c7e..dcb806094 100644
--- a/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/dialogs/clustering-dialog.js
+++ b/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/dialogs/clustering-dialog.js
@@ -196,13 +196,13 @@ ClusteringDialog.prototype._renderTable = function(clusters) {
             }
             
             var params = [
-                "project=" + escape(theProject.id),
-                "ui=" + escape(JSON.stringify({
+                "project=" + encodeURIComponent(theProject.id),
+                "ui=" + encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify({
                     "facets" : [ facet ]
                 }))
             ];
             var url = "project?" + params.join("&");
-                            
+
             var div = $('<div></div>').addClass("clustering-dialog-value-focus");
             
             var browseLink = $('<a target="_new" title="'+$.i18n._('core-dialogs')["browse-only-these"]+'">'+$.i18n._('core-dialogs')["browse-this-cluster"]+'</a>')
diff --git a/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/open-project-ui.js b/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/open-project-ui.js
index 95334e805..2846d59df 100644
--- a/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/open-project-ui.js
+++ b/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/open-project-ui.js
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ Refine.OpenProjectUI.prototype._onClickUploadFileButton = function(evt) {
   } else {
     $("#file-upload-form").attr("action",
         "command/core/create-project-from-upload?" + [
-          "url=" +                escape(dataURL),
+          "url=" +                encodeURICompnent(dataURL),
           "split-into-columns=" + $("#split-into-columns-input")[0].checked,
           "separator=" +          $("#separator-input")[0].value,
           "ignore=" +             $("#ignore-input")[0].value,
diff --git a/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/project.js b/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/project.js
index d83c61fb2..cf729f48f 100644
--- a/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/project.js
+++ b/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/project.js
@@ -62,8 +62,6 @@ Refine.reportException = function(e) {
 };
 
 function resize() {
-  var header = $("#header");
-
   var leftPanelWidth = 300;
   var width = $(window).width();
   var top = $("#header").outerHeight();
@@ -457,8 +455,8 @@ Refine.fetchRows = function(start, limit, onDone, sorting) {
 
 Refine.getPermanentLink = function() {
   var params = [
-    "project=" + escape(theProject.id),
-    "ui=" + escape(JSON.stringify({
+    "project=" + encodeURIComponent(theProject.id),
+    "ui=" + encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify({
       facets: ui.browsingEngine.getFacetUIStates()
     }))
   ];
@@ -475,7 +473,7 @@ function onLoad() {
     var uiState = {};
     if ("ui" in params) {
       try {
-        uiState = JSON.parse(params.ui);
+        uiState = JSON.parse(decodeURIComponent(params.ui));
       } catch (e) {
       }
     }
diff --git a/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/reconciliation/recon-dialog.js b/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/reconciliation/recon-dialog.js
index d3a8e8abb..56df3e1c2 100644
--- a/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/reconciliation/recon-dialog.js
+++ b/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/reconciliation/recon-dialog.js
@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ ReconDialog.prototype._onAddNamespacedService = function() {
     var typeData = elmts.typeInput.data("data.suggest");
     if (namespaceData) {
       var url = "http://reconcile.freebaseapps.com/namespace_reconcile?namespace="
-        + escape(namespaceData.id);
+        + encodeURIComponent(namespaceData.id);
       if (typeData) {
         url += "&type=" + typeData.id;
       }
diff --git a/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/util/url.js b/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/util/url.js
index 998fe849c..93168cee9 100644
--- a/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/util/url.js
+++ b/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/util/url.js
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ URL.getParameters = function() {
     params = params.substr(1).split("&");
     $.each(params, function() {
       pair = this.split("=");
-      r[pair[0]] = unescape(pair[1]);
+      r[pair[0]] = decodeURIComponent(pair[1]);
     });
   }
 
@@ -102,15 +102,3 @@ URL.looksLikeUrl = function(s) {
   return false;
 };
 
-URL.getHostname = function(){
-  var url = location.href;  // entire url including querystring - also: window.location.href;
-  var baseURL = url.substring(0, url.indexOf('/',7));//7 is the length of http://
-  return baseURL;
-};
-
-URL.urlify = function(str) {
-  if(!str) {
-    return '';
-  }
-  return escape(str.replace(/\W/g, '_'));
-};
\ No newline at end of file