It is refreshing to read so much that is positive about Italy amid the pervasive gloom: the fight against organised crime in the south, the exporting power of family firms in the north, the impact of Mr Monti's reforms.

ECONOMIST: How to slay its demons

One thing that makes summer so refreshing is the break it provides from our routine.

FORBES: 12 Ways To Get Out Of A Work Rut

In today's world of football where it's about money that's so refreshing.

BBC: Moyes praised for link with Chilean side CD Everton

It's just been refreshing to see so many people recognizing that this is the time to step up and make some changes.

WHITEHOUSE: The First Lady Takes On Childhood Obesity

It is this juxtaposition of the quotidian with the bleeding edge that makes the Peckham scene so refreshing.

BBC: London's art attack

So it was refreshing to hear President Emmert acknowledge that the rules need to be modernized and organized in such a way that his enforcement staff as well as compliance officials across the NCAA network work smarter and more efficiently by focusing their efforts on the more egregious abuses of the rules.

FORBES: Stricter Penalties, More Resources Would Minimize Cheating in College Athletics

Ceann possesses both chops and wit, and for those who've always heard that it's what's inside that counts, it's sort of refreshing to hear the external so unapologetically placed in the spotlight.

NPR: 'Pretty on the Inside' and the Ugly Truth

It has been so refreshing this week to hear him talk of his hunger to win the Carling Cup, a competition that is often belittled by too many.

BBC: Leon Osman and Richard Dunne set good example