He thought he saw a bird on a wall, but as he drew closer he realized that it was just an empty tin box.

NEWYORKER: Waiting

Following the quake, investigators in Yunlin county discovered that three crumbled structures had been erected by a construction company that had used empty plastic bottles and tin cans as filler to save on concrete and bricks. (The owner was arrested.) In Dali, a massive apartment block suffered major damage: one of the 11-story buildings was uprooted from the ground and fell backward.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Taiwan: The Day the Earth Moved--Page 3

Benny Avni saw, here and there, decrepit dovecotes, livestock stables turned into shops, the skeleton of an old truck sunk to its hips in savage growth beside a deserted tin shed or an empty doghouse.

NEWYORKER: Waiting

The Scarecrow wants to understand the world around him, the Cowardly Lion wants the courage to live his life, and the Tin Man wants to fill the empty can that serves as his chest.

WSJ: Nowhere Near the Rainbow