The International Franchise Association announced its 2007 Entrepreneur of the Year at its conference last week in Orlando. Brian Scudamore, chief executive officer of 1-800-Got Junk?, took the honor. Scudamore, who dropped out of high school, said he got the idea while at a McDonald's drive-through, and started the junk-removal company with a $700 pick-up truck.

The business generated enough money for him to enroll in college, but its success was the reason he dropped out of school a second time. The company now has 310 franchise locations, including one in Orlando, and a total of 805 trucks, according to the company's Web site.

Scudamore shared the following advice for franchisors: Never compromise on the quality of people you bring into your company and choose as your franchise partners.

Women turn on ‘traitor’ Oprah Winfrey for backing Barack Obama

First off anytime you hear a new report the state " women" and "blacks". Now if that isn't making it clear that we are still referenced by the color of our skin although we're women, then I am not sure what it means. I want the individual in office that I feel is best fit; not because they're a woman or black just because they care and want to move this country forward. Why do black women always have to defend their choices in beauty, politics, education, our way of talking (deemed aggressive), you name it. When is the last time you had to fight to have your ideas considered because your white. I didn't think so. When is the last time you saw 9 black people or nine asian or 9 hispanics on the jury and one white person? I didn't think so. It's obvious that some individuals live under the fallacy that because I'm a womam I am treated the same when in fact I am a "black" woman, which is often made light of.

As ISPs choke file-sharing, users look elsewhere

RapidShare and MegaUpload are among the most used file-hosting services. Together, the two sites account for 9 percent of all Internet traffic in the Middle East and 4 percent in Germany, according to iPoque, a company based in Leipzig, Germany, that specializes in traffic-management appliances for ISPs.

The services let users upload a file and then share a link, called a direct download link, in e-mails and Web forums for others to download the content.

Doris Goodwin on Obama's Borrowings

In the days since Gerald Ford's death, so much praise has been heaped on the late president's blanket pardon to his predecessor, Richard Nixon, that you'd think Tricky Dick was Jean Valjean. These magnanimous pronouncements are a preening exercise in cost-free generosity three decades after the fact. They reflect little or no consideration of the merits of the pardon itself.

No new information has emerged during the past 32 years that makes Ford's pardon to Nixon look any more justifiable; indeed, what facts have dribbled forth make it seem less so. (More on these later.) Nor can the pardon plausibly be considered an example of the bipartisan spirit for which Ford is justly, if too extravagantly, praised by Washington insiders. The pardon may have had the long-term effect of tamping down partisan warfare between Democrats and Republicans over a possible criminal trial (obstruction of justice would have been the likeliest charge), but when a Republican short-circuits prosecution of a fellow Republican, you can't call that bipartisanship.

Should Michigan Dems have a do-over?

Here's your chance to weigh in on the debate raging over whether Michigan should hold another Democratic presidential primary or caucus. Progress Michigan, a Lansing-based liberal alliance, is hosting a poll on its web site, progressmichigan.org. Click on "MI Primary do-over?" Yes votes currently lead 67-33 percent. Be aware that it's not entirely without strings. You have to enter your e-mail address and zip code. For more on politics, see polpourri on mlive.com/grpress and in Sunday's Press

Amy Winehouse grabs 5 Grammys, but loses album of the year to Herbie ...

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Safe behind the wheel

We're so new (as) drivers and I just think kids make rash decisions," Emily said. "It's not just about drinking and driving. It's about road rage, speeding, text messaging and not wearing your seat belt."

Denise and Hailey were understandably nervous when they took to the stage. Not an unusual emotion when some of your peers - perhaps the "invincible" kind - are laughing it up in the back rows.

Microsoft in a twist over SaaSy Office deal

A UK hosting company is offering Microsoft Office for £4.99 (around $10) a month with no contract commitment, and Microsoft doesn't like it — even though it seems Microsoft approved the arrangement.

Launched last week by popular web hosting provider Fasthosts, the service uses streaming technology to download the application to the customer's PC, where it runs for as long as the customer continues to pay their subscription. The headline-grabbing £4.99-a-month price point ('less than a fiver' we Brits would say) is "for any household that has a user engaged in educational activities (such as school, college, night classes etc)", and includes the 2007 versions of Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint. Business users pay £14.99. Both prices are before UK VAT (sales tax) of 17.5%, which most businesses reclaim but private individuals cannot.