METRO Tuesday, November 17, 2009 D SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES Earn points to avail of amazing special offers www.WhoseView.ie, your new review website for people not afraid to speak their mind; who like to help others when something is worth raving about, or when simply to rant about. Seek a recommendation on the Internet that is. Post, Share or Find reviews on... TODAY: A dry start, with rain and high winds later. Max: 10C TOMORROW: Further heavy rain and fierce winds. Max: 12C METRO Weather Twitter and texts to replace e-mail E-MAIL could be extinct in a decade, as younger people switch to texting, instant messaging and social websites such as Facebook. It is slow, inconvenient and unfashionable, a study by Prof David Zeitlyn at the University of Kent, in the UK, found. Bishops urge end to the alcohol ads DRINKS companies should be banned from sponsoring sports to help tackle alcohol abuse, Catholic Bishops said. Bishop Eamonn Walsh, of the Irish Bishops Drugs and Alcohol Initiative, said authorities must recognise the seriousness of the problem. Draft laws last month proposed cutting the legal blood alcohol level for driving to 50mg. MENU ThE Home Digest 4 Guilty Pleasures Celebrity gossip 6 World Digest 10 MetroLife Arts and entertainment 12-13 60 Second Interview Singer Orla Gargan 14 TV 14-15 Puzzles & Letters 16-17 Classifieds 18-20 Sport 21-24 Help keep Dublin clean and tidy for everyone by taking your Metro with you and recycling it Emissions fall as production rises EMISSIONS from chemical plants fell by almost two-thirds in the last 12 years while production soared. The Environmental Protection Agency said the findings showed how tougher pollution laws allow businesses to flourish while becoming more eco- friendly. Its report found 10,000 enforcements were issued in the last two years 45 to local authorities on drinking water standards. Emissions fell 59 per cent from 1995 to 2007, yet production rose 70 per cent. Lucia Scerbikova wowed shoppers on Henry Street as she helped announce Debenhams Christmas Spectacular sale. The four-day sale, with bargains of up to 25 per cent off, starts this Friday Picture: Fennells chrisTmas comEs Early bY jOAnne AHeRn road deaths to hit lowest everFEWER people will die on Irish roads in 2009 than in any other year since records began in 1959, current trends indicate. Ireland will be in the top five countries in Europe in terms of the lowest numbers of deaths per head of population if the 2009 death toll remains below 250. The data was revealed at the launch yesterday of the latest pan-European Axa Insurance behaviour survey. Axa Ireland chief executive John ONeill said to date in 2009, 205 people have been killed on Irish roads, 45 fewer than last year. The introduction of random breath testing and greater driver awareness is being credited for the decrease in road deaths. Commenting on the statistics, Paul Maloney, head of corporate affairs at Axa Ireland, said: We have gone from being one of the worst in Eu- ropean road accidents to one of the best. This has been noted by other countries. The survey found more than 80 per cent of Irish drivers think a zero- alcohol policy for drivers would be a good idea. This was higher than the EU aver- age of 68 per cent. The survey also found drivers felt safer on Irish roads this year com- pared to last, and driving behaviour is improving because of increased road safety awareness and educa- tion, coupled with law enforce- ment. Meanwhile, 97 per cent of Irish drivers consider road accident pre- vention as being important, with 85 per cent stating it is very important the highest score in the EU. Some 51 per cent of Irish drivers also believe road safety is the indi- viduals responsibility. Mr ONeill said around half of the biggest claims it deals with are drink related, and he criticised Fi- anna Fil backbenchers attempts to scupper Transport Minister Noel Dempseys move to lower the drink- drive limit. I have never heard such a load of absolute rubbish, Mr ONeill said. It is interesting that people who make those crazy statements look crazy even to their constituents when 80 per cent of drivers knew that if you have had a drink, your driving will be impaired. Meanwhile, the downturn in the economy has also had an impact on peoples driving habits. Some 38 per cent of those polled said they had changed their driving habits because of the increase in the price of fuel. The survey was based on inter- views with 800 drivers across the European Union. Racist festival claim rejectedA WOMAN has failed in her bid for compensation on racial grounds against the Dublin Writers Festival over allegations she said there should be no blacks at the festival. Dr Elaine Lennon brought a case to the Equality Tribunal after accusing the festival organisers of discrimination, harassment and victimisation. Ms Lennon had applied for the position of festival director, and was one of six people to be interviewed. During the interview, Ms Lennon claimed an interviewer became agitated and engaged in a line of questioning calculated to make her say something derogatory about the changing nature of Irish society, but she didnt rise to the bait. She said that near the end of the interview, she was then asked why she thought there should be no blacks at the festival. Ms Lennon said she was outraged and deeply resented having words put in her mouth, adding the board later deliberately destroyed interview notes. The board claimed Ms Lennon stated the festival should incorporate white writers only and people dont want to be listening to foreign poets droning on; and it had sought clarification as she had earlier stated she wanted the festival to appeal to the diverse, multi-cultural society which Dublin city has become. While accepting Ms Lennon had not used the words no blacks, the Equality Tribunal found she did not make a case within the terms of the relevant acts, and dismissed the case against the Dublin Writers Festival. index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html