New to python

[Brian Quinlan]

> Are there any decent reference sites I can peek at (im a seased 
> programmer btw, so the fundamentals will be fine). 

http://www.python.org/doc/current/tut/tut.html

> I see that if you want to use a function you have to import it from 
> the library at the top (grr :P), anyhow, are there any more 'quirks' 
> such as this I should know about ?

There are many ways to do imports:

>>> from math import sin, cos
>>> sin(5) + cos(2)
-1.3750711112102809

OR:

>>> import math
>>> math.tan(3) + math.ceil(5)
4.8574534569257226

OR:

>>> from math import *
>>> atan(2)
1.1071487177940904

The last method is not recommended because it can cause name collisions.

> Also, whats the easiest way to see what data type is help in a 
> variable? Eg string, integer etc.

>>> foo = 5
>>> type(foo)
<type 'int'>

> And last but not least, whats the best place to find the 
> different exception handling techniques, 

Are you asking a design pattern question, are you looking for a list of
Python exception handling control structures or are you looking for a
list of builtin exception types?

> the python.org site is obismal when compared to php.net
> and the likes :( About as much use as a dead dog :(

Do you have any specific (i.e. useful) criticism? I quite like the
Python documentation. 

Cheers,
Brian