I went online to check if my pay was in my bank account. To my amazement, I discovered that not only had I been paid, a company I'd never worked for had also paid me! I knew I'd have been beside myself if my own salary was not in my account, so I tried to get the money back to the right person. It is easier said than done.

    The bank couldn't help as it wasn't a bank problem. The human-resource department as the company that paid me was unable to help as I didn't have enough details. I rang the bank again. Thankfully I had sympathetic call operator who gave me a name, so I again rang the company “Daniel” worked for.

    I expected the bank would contact me to arrange to take the money from my account and repay Daniel. I heard nothing for a month and the money remained in my account when Daniel called, explaining he'd tried to get back his money but had been unsuccessful as neither the bank nor his company felt it was their error. He had rung to ask if I could speak to the bank, but after chatting for a few minutes we realized we could probably fix this problem ourselves.

    We decided I would take the money from my account and he would pick it up from me. Due to my busy job I was unable to meet Daniel personally but he left me a lovely bottle of wine in exchange for what was rightfully his. I never had any intention of keeping Daniel's pay, but red tape（繁琐手续）made it difficult to do the right thing. It all came down to two people being able to do what a huge bank and a large company couldn't do — admit a mistake has occurred and fix it.

    A survey has shown that what you do on a plane can be determined by which nationality is listed on your passport.

    According to the results of an international passenger survey, Australians are the biggest drinkers on board with 36 percent choosing to down the hatch, compared to 35 percent of Americans and 33 percent of Brits.

    The Airline Passenger Experience Association(APEX) spoke to around 1,500 people, aged 18 and older, who have traveled by plane at least once during the last three months and were living in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, China, Singapore, Australia and Brazil.

The results found Chinese travelers are most likely to nod off once the seat-belt sign switches off. They are also the first to take out their credit card for some in-flight shopping and the biggest fans of gaming. Americans on the other hand like to use their time in the air more productively—- when not drinking—- choosing to work while flying at 35,000 feet.

Meanwhile, Brits and Germans are the best at making chat with random strangers—-spending 50 percent more time than any other nationality. Comparatively, Brazilians conduct their conversations online via email, messaging apps or social media.

    Despite plane food having a bad reputation, seven out of ten interviewees said they were happy to eat up on the selection of in-flight snacks and meals. In-flight magazines were also popular with four out of five passengers.

    The international flyers did however express their desire for better in-flight entertainment. “The industry has greatly improved the comfort, entertainment and onboard service, and passengers are accepting those improvements” said Russell Lemieux, APEX executive director. “At the same time, passengers are demanding more from their air travel experiences which will drive more improvements touching all aspects of the journey.” he added.

    He must have had that nice window seat all the way from London. An Indian, he looked under 40, medium height, slim and wore a suit. I got an aisle seat next to him. I looked at him and tried to smile as I sat down. But there was a blank, distant look that made me stop mid-smile. One of those, I thought.

    Each time I take a flight, I try to chat with a fellow passenger. Most people are responsive when they're alone at 40,000 feet. But the man wearing the suit on my left was a puzzle. One of those non-resident Indians, I thought. What do you lose if you just smiled at a fellow human being? Most of the time, he stared fixedly at the seat in front of him. Why are some people so full of themselves?

    When the stewardess brought lunch, the unfriendly man had his eyes shut. She gave me a should-I-wake-him-up look. I didn't say anything, and he didn't get his lunch. Serves him right. He soon woke up and saw me eat. But he didn't ask for his meal. He could just have pressed a button. That's his problem.

    We still have almost two hours of flying left. I read a magazine. I try to play a video game. I listen to music. He does nothing. At times our eyes meet, but he isn't all there. He's like no other passenger I've ever sat next to. By the time our jet lands in Mumbai, I find his presence almost uncomfortable. As we taxi down the runway, I hear the man speak for the first time—on his mobile phone. He seems to be discussing his connecting flight. About somebody receiving him… Just before the aircraft comes to a halt, he's the first to stand up. “Excuse me,” he says to me. “May I leave? I can't miss my connecting flight.”

    Hmm…! I get up to make way for him when he goes on mechanically, “My wife and child died in a road accident in Delhi.” I'm shocked by his words. Suddenly, everything falls in place.

    Despite his terrible loss and the sufferings he has been enduring, he was calm, controlled throughout. And, maybe, in the midst of his soul-crushing sorrow, he didn't want to burden a stranger with his pain.

    For more than fifty years, a worker was forced to sit on the back of a truck and slowly drop plastic barriers（障碍） to set out lanes（车道）on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Every day, their direction changes to control the traffic, meaning an employee had to go through the difficult task every twenty-four hours.

    But a new piece of machinery means the work can be completed in a matter of minutes. A new “zipper truck” has been introduced. The vehicle lays and moves a lane barrier as it drives over the bridge. Last weekend, the bridge was closed so the new safety barrier, designed to reduce the dangers of head-on crashes, could be set up.

    For the longest period in its nearly eighty-year history, the bridge was closed early Saturday to all but walkers, cyclists and buses to set up the barriers on the 1.7-mile bridge. A survivor of a 2008 head-on crash on the bridge spoke Sunday from a wheelchair to help introduce the new barrier, made of steel-clad concrete（铜包混凝土）blocks that can move across the bridge's six lanes to meet traffic needs.

    Gr. Grace Dammann pushed for a safer barrier since becoming unable to walk after the accident. She said she decided to drive near the middle of the bridge, which was called the “suicide（自杀）lane”, because she and her daughter were running late. Brian Clark, who was driving in the opposite direction, had just learned his father had cancer. “He suddenly lost control of the wheel, crossed over and hit my car,” Dammann said.

    She said she and Clark became friends as they persuaded（说服）the government to use the MYM30 million barrier. “I am so thankful,” said Dammann, who came to the ceremony with Clark.

    “Clark and I thank you.”

    In England, some food companies across the whole country have been told to carry out urgent (紧急的) tests on all beef products. Do you know why? That's because some food companies used horse meat to make beef products.

    There are some examples about the horse meat matter. In January, 2013, in a number of UK supermarkets, frozen hamburgers were found to have traces of horse meat in them. Some frozen beef products made by food company FINDUS were found to contain horse meat. All of the beef products made by this company have been removed from sale.

    The government said that there's nothing to suggest any health risk from the products. Food minister David Heath said people should not throw away frozen meat products and carry on eating meat. The government will tell people not to eat meat if the meat is not safe.

    Food safety has been an important matter all over the world. More and more countries plan to take some useful measures to ensure the safety of food.

    We offer a full range of services to make your IKEA experience more complete.

    Old Kitchen Removing Service

    Are you going to buy a brand-new kitchen in IKEA? So how to do with your old kitchen at home? Don't worry! IKEA is now providing professional dismantling and removing service for old kitchen to you. By this service you can have your new kitchen at home easily. (For service detail and charge please go to the staff of kitchen department.)

    Transport Service

    Need a way to get your new home-furnishings home? You can rent a transport or hire us to deliver it for you. Just talk to our Customer Service Department for details.

    Return Policy

    As long as the items are undamaged, unassembled and unused, you could return them in their original package within 60 days (IKEA FAMILY member within 180 days) together with your original receipt.

    Sorry, we cannot accept exchange or return of food, plants, liquid bathing products, AS-IS products, customized products, kitchen electrical appliance and all products that have already been cut, sewed or painted. "The exchange and return policy above applies only to the products purchased from IKEA stores in mainland China."

    IKEA Restaurant/Café

    The restaurant/cafe serves both classic Swedish dishes and local favorites, and is one of the most popular areas of the whole IKEA store. Shopping at IKEA is fun and offers great value, but can also be hard work, so stop by and treat yourself to a refreshing drink and a bite to eat.