Notes from the Cucumber Season.

Comments on events during the third quarter 2005 in the Czech Republic and abroad. Escape of a Czech billionaire from the police by simply walking out of jail with his cuffs still on; Death of Pavel Dostal, actor, former dissident and Culture Minister; Reputation and nicknames of Czech Premier Jiri Paroubek; President Vaclav Klaus' attempt to defend the sovereignty of the nation-state while openly rejecting the European Union;p Documentary program on CNN dealing with the failure of the U.S. government and intelligent services, which were using claims about the imminent development of weapons of mass destruction as the main reason for toppling the regime of Saddam Hussein.