Winter means snow blocked roads...and renewed Malyszmania

"Winter has taken everybody by surprise". A title like this reappears in the media every year as the real winter hits home. This year, surprisingly, it is claimed that the winter itself has been taken aback and that one can drive safely on all state roads despite the heavy snowfalls over the weekend. Some local roads are likely to be blocked and the police are appealing to drivers to slow down and take extra care. The worst hit areas are in the north-east and south where constant snowfalls undermine efforts to clear and grit the roads. Another major threat are trucks, which tend to block the traffic no less than snow itself. But winter has another face. Snow is a friend rather than a problem for ski jumper Adam Malysz and his fans, who follow him wherever he goes to a competition. Thanks to his loyal fans the term "Malyszmania" has come into existence. After he came second in the Finnish round of the World Ski Jumping Cup on Friday, it was believed that he could strive for gold, but unfortunately he was placed forth in the final result. Marcin Bachleda came in 11th, which was a good result, while Tomislaw Tajner came in further behind in 27th place. (Zycie, pp. 3, 20) K.Z.