If you're tired of reading about Greece and Italy, Jeff Thredgold tries to look on the bright side. Today he offers several dozen happy headlines concerning the United States and its economy. A sampling:

•Total U.S. retirement assets rose to $17.5 trillion in 2010, the most since the end of 2007 •During the early 1960s, the five-year survival rate from cancer for Americans was one in three. Today it is two in three…continuing to climb…and the highest in the world •The U.S. accounted for 34% of the funds spent globally on research & development (R&D) during 2010 •The country’s net petroleum imports peaked at 60.3% in 2005 and dropped to 49.3% in 2010. Within a year, North Dakota is expected to supply more oil for domestic use than the 1.1 million barrels a day that Saudi Arabia now exports to theU.S. •The number of violent crimes fell by a surprisingly large 12% last year versus the prior year •Roughly 80% of companies that suspended or reduced their 401(k) matches during the past 2-3 years reinstated them in 2010 or 2011