He opened his boxes and started taking inventory. Between the heavy panting of the dogs and the insufferable heat, he felt as if he was working inside an engine. The bulk of his stock was shipped from the Philippines. Finster never met his counterpart in Manila, but he had a fair idea of the man's predilections. Mostly, the articles were in Tagalog, but a few were in English, and in this piecemeal fashion, Finster got his news of the outside world.
Pirates attack a city in Borneo.
Aquino threatens to cancel U.S military base leases. Muslim insurgents start a Holy war in Mindanao. Catholics are rioting on Flores because a Protestant refused to eat the body of Christ. Tilting his head back against the tin wall, Finster dug out his roach and took another blast to blot out the news. Then he shut off the flashlight.