Mahathir, James & Capelli (Day 2, ICOT)

Not exactly a day with much new knowledge or tools, but lots of metaphors and good reminders. I listened to four talks, one of which was only a 'brochure' for the school the speaker was from : not good.

Quotable quotes from the other three:

• "How does a man not necessarily burdened with a superior intellect find himself in a position of extraordinary power?" (Colin James on President George Bush)
  
  
• "Democracy cannot solve the problem of bad leadership" (Dr. Mahathir on the inadequacy of liberal democracy, although he wasn't saying we shouldn't vote)
  
  
• "The timespan for one generation today is 6 years" (Glenn Capelli)

• "The camel looked like it was designed by a committee" (Dr. Mahathir)

• "I was suspicious the IMF and World Bank were really trying to control our economy instead of helping the country" (Dr. Mahathir on why he rejected IMF loans during the 1997-8 financial crisis in the region)
  
  
• "I'm not a scholar. My only qualification is my driver's license" (Colin James)
  
  
• "A five-month old foetus can distinguish his/her father's and mother's voice from the womb" (Glenn Capelli)
  
  
• "Being analytical is great but if you overdo it you become the first four aphabets of the word." (Colin James comparing analytical intelligence with somatic and emotional intelligence)
  
  
• "Why should someone spend their time translating for you??" (Dr. Mahathir promoting the use of English - the 'language of knowledge' - to teach Science and Maths in Malaysian schools; he was taking a shot at those who wanted to revert to Malay)
  
  
• "The deaf talk with their entire body; we normal folks are so boring - we just move our mouths." (Glenn Capelli)
  
  
• "There are 6,000 languages in the world - 90% of them near extinction" (Glenn Capelli)
  
  
• "When you run out of language, the violence begins" (Colin James on the Middle-East situation)
  
  
• "Natural play is the greatest developer of the brain - it's better to let a child play with the cardboard box than the toy inside it!" (Glenn Capelli)
  
  
• "I was studying to be a priest, but I had a problem with one of the vows: Obedience" (Colin James)