I get a lot of my ideas from Reuters'Oddly Enough. There's a scene in Your Alibi that came from a piece about penguins stranded on an highway after an accident. A major conflict in Good Touch comes from a group in Michoacan that calls itself The Family, also straight from the papers. On Sept 6 2006, they deposited five severed heads in a taverna with a sign that read: "The family doesn't kill for money. It doesn't kill women. It doesn't kill innocent people, only those who deserve to die." The Family claims to be fighting the Milenio Gang (allied with the Sinaloa Cartel) and the 30 Gang, who have turned their home state into the murder capital of Mexico. The Family also says, "Perhaps at this time people don't understand us, but we know that in the most affected regions, they understand our actions," it said, adding "people who work at any decent activity have no reason to worry."Is it possible they're really the good guys? There's a lot you folks in the states don't know. I guess you'll just have to read Good Touch.

So on that note, I'll be culling a headline once a week, something that I intend to use in a story. Here's one for today's Odd Friday.

BEIJING (Reuters Life!) - A Chinese thief has returned a mobile phone and thousands of yuan he stole from a woman after she sent him 21 touching text messages, Xinhua news agency said on Monday.

Pan Aiying, a teacher in the eastern province of Shandong, had her bag containing her mobile phone, bank cards and 4,900 yuan ($630) snatched by a man riding a motorcycle as she cycled home on Friday, Xinhua said, citing the Qilu Evening News.

Pan first thought of calling the police but she decided to try to persuade the young man to return her bag.

She called her lost phone with her colleague's cell phone but was disconnected. Then she began sending text messages.

"I'm Pan Aiying, a teacher from Wutou Middle School. You must be going through a difficult time. If so, I will not blame you," wrote Pan in her first text message which did not get a response.

"Keep the 4,900 yuan if you really need it, but please return the other things to me. You are still young. To err is human. Correcting your mistakes is more important than anything," Pan wrote.

She gave up hope of seeing her possessions again after sending 21 text messages without a reply.

But on her way out on Sunday morning, she stumbled over a package that had been left in her courtyard only to discover it was her stolen bag. Nothing had been taken.

"Dear Pan: I'm sorry. I made a mistake. Please forgive me," a letter inside said.

"You are so tolerant even though I stole from you. I'll correct my ways and be an upright person."

Doesn't that just make you feel all warm and squishy inside? She touched the heart of the thief who stole from her. That has romance written all over it. I get all shivery, thinking about the kind of bad boy who steals for a living but is still redeemable... mmm. Anyway.

Sorry there was no review for Thursday, but nobody sent anything! I can't review them if you don't send em. We'll try again next week, so tell your friends.