Maybe it's a mod_python issue I'm hitting?

[Tim Peters]

>From the docs:

    vars([object])
    Without arguments, return a dictionary corresponding to the current
    local symbol table.  With a module, class or class instance object as
    argument (or anything else that has a __dict__ attribute), returns a
    dictionary corresponding to the object's symbol table.  The returned
    dictionary should not be modified: the effects on the corresponding
    symbol table are undefined.

It's always said that, and it's never been joking <wink>.  Ditto for
locals().