Every year for the past 25 years, I sustain from drinking during the month of January. It’s not a detox but rather a slowing of momentum from the holiday season. The Christmas parties, dinners and boys’ “board meetings” all invariably have a social element to them that includes drinking wine or the odd shot of holiday tequila. I’m not complaining but to make certain it doesn’t get out of hand, I kibosh the drinks for 30 days. It’s not a big deal, I just like to stay disciplined. But as I opened the newspaper this morning, there was nothing but bad news staring at me. I flipped through page after page of black and white, searching for a good “news” story and… there were none. Gulp. Even Simon Cowell is leaving American Idol, for God’s sake. Time for a drink? Nope. Time for the AWT Good News Edition. Slap on your Ray-Bans and lets roll.

☞I don’t know if you have ever noticed this but a sign o’ the times is always reflected in music. In the 00’s, you never saw a song entitled Celebrate or Sunny or We Built this City (on Rock n’ Roll)!  Instead we listened to Misery, Misery Business and this from Tom Waits, Misery is the River of the World. No more, boys and girls. We need an new soundtrack. And today’s AWT song of the week comes from a 60’s icon, Ringo Starr. Ringo knocks it for six with Everybody Wins off his new album, Y Not. We should be off to a good start here because Everybody Wins is a wonderful song with a topical message. Listen and smile.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

☞I know this doesn’t seem like much but I think it is significant. Ford won the Car and Truck of the year in 2010 for their Fusion and Transit Connect. This is a big boost for the American automobile industry. Ford was the only Detroit automaker spared from bankruptcy and this award and recognition will raise their tide even a little more. If you’re looking for good news, this is a place to start.

☞I think Massachusetts has 3 solid picks (Scott Brown, Martha Coakley and Joseph Kennedy) running for Ted Kennedy’s US Senate seat even though they differ greatly on the issues. I like Scott Brown a lot though I differ with him on the issue of marriage and equality. I like Martha Coakley because of her tenaciousness and finally, I like Joe Kennedy because he makes a lot of sense on the issue of government spending. The point here is the voters have a real and viable choice on who represents them and that is very good news. If you are from Massachusetts, be sure to vote on Jan 19th.

☞If you like to cook as I do, the winter season presents a challenge for fresh ingredients. I found a handy chart for finding peak season ingredients. Have a look at this guide.  For my friends in the UK, Leon Restaurants offers a similar chart that can be downloaded here. You can’t say we’re not a full service blog around here! By the way, Leon Restaurants offers a vision that other restaurant groups should emulate. It’s about sustainability, freshness and good nutrition. I really like what they are doing even though I have never had a bite there. Take a look.

☞Here’s a good news/bad news story. Jay Leno will no longer be on prime time television as of Feb. 12! The bad news is he’s going back to his old slot and ousting Conan O’Brien. Damn. See, you can find good news if you look hard enough.

☞The Rolling Stones announced that they were not going to be touring in 2010. Many think this is because the band wants to replace the troubled Ronnie Wood who is struggling with alcoholism. I think their decision not to tour is good news because it proves once and for all that a rolling stone can gather moss.

☞Today’s AWT quote is all about news and succinctly explains the world we live in.

For most folks, no news is good news; for the press, good news is not news.
~Gloria Borger

This explains why it’s so difficult to find something good to hang your hat on.  Call your friends and family. Make plans. Celebrate. Sing. Dance. Laugh and love. Make your own good news!

Aye Wonder. Aye Wonder.

And I’m sure you do too.

Possibly Related Posts:

• A New Decade AWT – I Feel Better Already
• AWT is on the Record
• The Decade in Review – The AWT version
• An Old Year’s AWT. The New Decade on its Way.
• AWT Looks at Justice, Tiger and the Spiral Starecase