diff --git a/wxPython/src/_extras.py b/wxPython/src/_extras.py
index 7889be9640..be34766f07 100644
--- a/wxPython/src/_extras.py
+++ b/wxPython/src/_extras.py
@@ -632,23 +632,9 @@ except NameError:
     True = 1==1
     False = 1==0
 
-class _DeprecatedNonBool:
-    def __init__(self, val, txt):
-        self.__val = val
-        self.__txt = txt
-    def __int__(self):
-        import warnings
-        warnings.warn("Use Python's %s instead" % self.__txt, DeprecationWarning, 3)
-        return self.__val
-    def __nonzero__(self):
-        return self.__int__()
-    def __repr__(self):
-        if self.__val: text = "True"
-        else: text = "False"
-        return "_DeprecatedNonBool: %s" % text
-
-TRUE  = true  = _DeprecatedNonBool(True, 'True')
-FALSE = false = _DeprecatedNonBool(False, 'False')
+# Backwards compaatible
+TRUE  = true  = True
+FALSE = false = False
 
 
 #----------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/wxPython/src/helpers.cpp b/wxPython/src/helpers.cpp
index f2fe70f69e..118f419230 100644
--- a/wxPython/src/helpers.cpp
+++ b/wxPython/src/helpers.cpp
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ bool wxPyApp::OnInitGui() {
     // wxPyBeginBlockThreads();  *** only called from within __wxStart so we already have the GIL
     if (wxPyCBH_findCallback(m_myInst, "OnInitGui"))
         rval = wxPyCBH_callCallback(m_myInst, Py_BuildValue("()"));
-    // wxPyEndBlockThreads();
+    // wxPyEndBlockThreads();    ***
     return rval;
 }
 
@@ -2225,8 +2225,8 @@ bool wxColour_helper(PyObject* source, wxColour** obj) {
         return TRUE;
     }
     // otherwise a string is expected
-    else if (PyString_Check(source)) {
-        wxString spec(PyString_AS_STRING(source), *wxConvCurrent);
+    else if (PyString_Check(source) || PyUnicode_Check(source)) {
+        wxString spec = Py2wxString(source);
         if (spec.GetChar(0) == '#' && spec.Length() == 7) {  // It's  #RRGGBB
             long red, green, blue;
             red = green = blue = 0;
diff --git a/wxPython/src/utils.i b/wxPython/src/utils.i
index 9b19149c5f..b40a1044a7 100644
--- a/wxPython/src/utils.i
+++ b/wxPython/src/utils.i
@@ -772,7 +772,7 @@ public:
             return self.__sub__DT(other)
         if isinstance(other, wxTimeSpanPtr):
             return self.__sub__TS(other)
-        if isinstnace(other, wxDateSpanPtr):
+        if isinstance(other, wxDateSpanPtr):
             return self.__sub__DS(other)
         raise TypeError, 'Invalid r.h.s. type for __sub__'
 "