Women now comprise 51% of divinity school students, yet in mainline Protestant churches that have ordained women for decades, they account for only about 3% of pastors who lead large congregations. In evangelical churches, most of which do not ordain women, some opt to leave for denominations that will accept them as ministers. Women from historically black churches wanting to ascend to the pulpit often start their own congregations. (NY Times 8/26/06)

Generation Y Workers have a reputation for experiencing boredom and frustration with slow-paced environments, traditional hierarchies, and even slightly outdated technologies that is, almost everything common in most workplaces. Dr. Larry Rosen argues the biggest difference between members of Gen Y and their predecessors is they have spent their entire lives surrounded by technology. Unlike many of the people they will be working for, its part of every aspect of their lives. The difference is more than generational; it's a difference in personality. They grew up in the lap of luxury, in one of the best economic times in the last 100 years. They're also pretty opinionated about the jobs they want and the money they intend to make, and many don't buy "working their way up."? Jim Lanzalotto, VP of YohServices gives 4 steps to help companies effectively manage Gen Y workers. (1) Lose the perceptions that Generation Y is the slacker generation?they just have a different thought process. Their heroes were business guys who got rich fast, or appeared to. (2) They will switch jobs as many as 20 times over the course of their careers. They view a job as a job and not a career. For them either the job is shaped in a way that utilizes their skills and expertise, or they won?t stick around. It?s important to not view employee turnover as bridge-burning. Many will boomerang back with a whole different perspective and valuable institutional knowledge. (3) They expect to dictate where and how they work. They?ll ask for more work-life balance and highly value time off. They?ll get the job done on time, but resent being reminded to. They don?t feel they should have to conform to office processes, but work well on deadlines. As long as they complete their work?the product?their process isn?t what matters. (4) They expect an open workplace where they can have their views heard without fear of retribution. They're not afraid to voice an opinion. Lanzalotto observes, "Workplace diversity is not just about culture; it's about the way people think. If you have people pushing and shoving and moving around, you'll only have a better company for it.? (EWeek.com 8/24/06)

A recent Harris Poll reports the 10 favorite brands of American consumers are: 1-Sony, 2-Dell, 3-Coca-Cola, 4-Toyota, 5-Ford, 6-Honda, 7-Hewlett-Packard, 8-General Electric, 9-Kraft foods, and 10-Apple. (Incentive 8/06)

People around the world have spent 9,305 years on YouTube since the site's inception. About a million videos were added to the site's 5.1 million during August alone. Those videos take up an estimated 45 terabytes of storage--about 5,000 computers' worth--and require several millions worth of bandwidth to transmit. 70% of YouTube's users are American, and roughly half are under 20. (Wall Street Journal 9/1/06)

Don?t miss Dave Barnes in concert at the Catalyst Conference! This special live event will be held in the Gwinnett Performing Arts Center (next to the Gwinnett Arena) on Thursday, October 5th at 7:30 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm). Tickets are $10 at the door. Limited seating available. Check out Dave's music at www.myspace.com/davebarnes.