Mali Ripped Apart By Tuareg Rebellion

[mongers]

Too bad. A couple of people I know have been there and I would have liked to go to that music festival near Timbuctou and to the Dogon Valley. But right now, Westerners are under severe threat of kidnapping there.

I was going to make a joke about calling off my Mali vacation plans.  Didn't realize anyone actually went there.

Germans are well known for their desert tourism.

[Neil]

So, here's the problem:  BMW is going to have to rebrand their shitty SUV.

[DGuller]

So, here's the problem:  BMW is going to have to rebrand their shitty SUV.

What did the X's do?

[Admiral Yi]

So, here's the problem:  BMW is going to have to rebrand their shitty SUV.

??  VW I thought.

[Ed Anger]

Fahrvergnügen

[Neil]

So, here's the problem:  BMW is going to have to rebrand their shitty SUV.

??  VW I thought.

Maybe.  All German automakers are equally bad.

[derspiess]

So, here's the problem:  BMW is going to have to rebrand their shitty SUV.

??  VW I thought.

Maybe.  All German automakers are equally bad.

I owned a German car once. 

Once.

[Ed Anger]

My wife had one of those new beetles. Until the engine turned into a potato. No more VW's. EVER.

[Razgovory]

My wife had one of those new beetles. Until the engine turned into a potato. No more VW's. EVER.

The old VW's weren't bad.  Unless it was cold outside.  Or you like moving very quickly.  And you were very short.  I also know from personal experience that they don't deflect arrows worth a damn.

[Sheilbh]

What music?

The music's great.  There's an annual Festival in the Desert all about Malinese music.  There's a few artists who are big worldwide too.

And from what I've seen, Tmbuktu is a shithole without much to see.

The Grand Mosque:

The old city's filled with similar architecture.  The library of Timbuktu's got one of the oldest and largest stores of African manuscripts, used on the old trade route, mostly in Arabic, which are now being restored and will be rehoused in a library/museum.  My impression is that it's a pretty remarkably stunning place

Edit: Changed picture.

[KRonn]

My wife had one of those new beetles. Until the engine turned into a potato. No more VW's. EVER.

The old VW's weren't bad.  Unless it was cold outside.  Or you like moving very quickly.  And you were very short.  I also know from personal experience that they don't deflect arrows worth a damn.

Had trouble with some Injun tribes, did ya?   

[derspiess]

My wife had one of those new beetles. Until the engine turned into a potato. No more VW's. EVER.

The old VW's weren't bad.  Unless it was cold outside.  Or you like moving very quickly.  And you were very short.  I also know from personal experience that they don't deflect arrows worth a damn.

My dad collects and tinkers with old Beetles & I've always liked them as well.

[Tonitrus]

What music?

The music's great.  There's an annual Festival in the Desert all about Malinese music.  There's a few artists who are big worldwide too.

And from what I've seen, Tmbuktu is a shithole without much to see.

The Grand Mosque:
The old city's filled with similar architecture.  The library of Timbuktu's got one of the oldest and largest stores of African manuscripts, used on the old trade route, mostly in Arabic, which are now being restored and will be rehoused in a library/museum.  My impression is that it's a pretty remarkably stunning place

I've seen better at those major sand castle building events. 

Ok, I am at least half-kidding. 

[derspiess]

The music's great.  There's an annual Festival in the Desert all about Malinese music.  There's a few artists who are big worldwide too.

Any suggestions?  What sets it apart from all the other traditional African folk music?

The Grand Mosque:
The old city's filled with similar architecture.  The library of Timbuktu's got one of the oldest and largest stores of African manuscripts, used on the old trade route, mostly in Arabic, which are now being restored and will be rehoused in a library/museum.  My impression is that it's a pretty remarkably stunning place

I'll avoid the "African engineering" joke, but I'll just say I'm not overly impressed. 

[Sheilbh]

Any suggestions?  What sets it apart from all the other traditional African folk music?

I'd suggest listening to Ali Farka Toure.  I think he's got a very interesting voice and playing guitar or, I think, kora he's pretty good.

I don't know enough about other African folk music to judge what's different.  The only other African stuff I listen too really is Youssou N'Dour from Senegal.  A lot of his stuff is religious and rather beautiful but quite polished.  The stuff I've heard from Mali, like Ali Farka Toure, is far grittier.  That could just be the style of those artists though I'm not in a position to comment.

I believe, but this is dim memory of a Damon Albarn article, that there's a musician caste in Malian culture which is largely in Timbuktu.  Which means the city itself is incredible to for music because there's improvisation and music everywhere. 

I'll avoid the "African engineering" joke, but I'll just say I'm not overly impressed.

I think that Mosque's part of a university which is about as old as Oxbridge.  It's certainly a few hundred years old.  Which is surely a pretty impressive feat of engineering?