why python annoys me

[James Logajan]

Alex Martelli wrote:
> [...] since Python does have list comprehensions, [...]

Not being a computer scientist, I hope you can excuse a profoundly ignorant
question, but what are (or is?) "list comprehensions"? And another question
(probably harder to answer): is there someplace on the web or in print where
I can find a good definition of "functional programming"? I'm pretty sure it
doesn't mean classical procedural notation, more like mathematical or
logical notation, but I can't be sure.

Many years back I did some application development using such a beast (at
least I think that is what it was trying to accomplish), but in the end one
had to rely on procedural elements to get information in and out and do some
other pedestrian things.

Thanks!