Comment by carbonica

I'm sorry? Python is the same way:

    >>> i = 10
    >>> def x():
    ...   print i
    ... 
    >>> x()
    10
    >>> i = 11
    >>> x()
    11

The value is not closed over in any language I can think of off the top of my head. It's a reference to a variable in lexical scope.

What python does slightly differently is writing to variables in outer scopes. But it still closes over references.