the cinnamon peeler's wife

1. diet coke with lime: my new favorite thing. i have always hated the weird aftertaste of diet cola, but somehow, this new diet coke with lime tastes great. actually it is even better with fountain diet coke with fresh lime wedges. try it if you don't believe me. mmmm.

2. the eu today gave a tentative nod towards turkey concerning negotiations about joining the eu. the eu decided that turkey had made enough progress in their economic policy, judiciary, and human rights records to warrant negotiations. this does not guarantee turkey a seat, but opens the possibility. my family went to turkey this summer and from their stories it seems quite european in some aspects. also the turks have done quite a good job improving infrastructure, etc. but many dismal human rights violations remain. one that is never mentioned, however, is the fact that women who choose to wear a headscarf can not go to college, work for the government, or serve in elected office. i am not in support of mandatory dress of any kind, thus limitations of this kind, in the name of secularism fly in the face of its very ideals. read about turkey and the eu in today's ny times.

3. working on a case concerning the rights of mobile home owners to organize in order to collectively bargain with their landlords (read slumlords). the overwhelming majority of these people are quite poor and thus legal aid has taken up their case. it is quite amazing how analogous all of it seem to workers rights, however, there the National Labor Relations Act lays out far more rights. still looking for ohio cases that protect tenants against landlord retaliation.

4. have you ever noticed how muslims are shy to acknowledge each other in public. today, i went to get some photos enlarged at a photo lab. the guy working there had a muslim sounding name, short beard, and an american accent. from the looks of me, he must have guessed i was muslim, but made no acknowledgement of the fact. no prob, that is pretty normal. but the minute his supervisor went in the back, he said my name all proper in arabic and said salam. i almost laughed because a minute ago he had said my name all in an american accent. ;)

5. going to chicago tomorrow! yeah!