def parse_csl(value, lower=True):
    """
    reads a string that is a comma separated list and converts it into a list of strings
    stripping out white space along the way
    :param value: the string to parse
    :param lower: should we also lowercase everything (default true)
    :return: a list of strings
    """
    value = value.strip()
    if not value:
        return []
    if lower:
        return [t.strip() for t in value.lower().strip().split(",")]
    return [t.strip() for t in value.strip().split(",")]