Her father reclined across the back seat, pain medication making his sentences syrupy, his bare toes at the end of a heavy full-leg cast resting on the door handle.

NEWYORKER: Soldier��s Joy

Place a freshly cut, 2- to 3- foot long log upright on the bare ground, place a mound of dirt on the top end and cover it loosely with black plastic.

NPR: Excerpt: 'A Splintered History Of Wood'

The Audit Commission, the local government spending watchdog which is set to being abolished by the end of 2012, welcomed the release of the information but warned that bare figures did not provide the whole story.

BBC: Government shines light on spending over ?25,000