can't get utf8 / unicode strings from embedded python

[David M. Cotter]

Thank you for your thoughtful and thorough response.  I now understand much better what you (and apparently the others) were warning me against and I will certainly consider that moving forward.

I very much appreciate your help as I learn about python and embedding and all these crazy encoding problems.

> What do kids have to do with this?
When a person has children, they quickly learn that the best way to deal with some one who seems to be not listening or having a tantrum: show understanding and compassion, restraint and patience, as you, in the most neutral way that you can, gently bit firmly guide said person back on track.  You learn that if you instead express your frustration at said person, that it never, ever helps the situation, and only causes more hurt to be spread around to the very people you are ostensibly attempting to help.

> Are you an adult or a child?
Perhaps my comment was lost in translation, but this is rather the question that I was obliquely asking you.  *wink right back*

In any case I thank you for your help, which has in fact been quite great!  My demo script is working, and I know now to properly advise my script writers regarding how to properly encode strings.