I’ve taken some time to get away from the fabulous city of Prague, the cultural and financial center of the Czech Republic, to dig into the wilder side of the country.

I took a three hour train ride to Teplice mab Metuji, right on the border with Poland. This little town is known for its sandstone monoliths, which are very similar to the formations in Bryce Canyon, Utah. The park was really beautiful, especially with the mist and drizzle hanging deep in the pine trees.

Anyone taking a trip to Prague should set aside the time to get up here and unwind…

After a nice hike, I hit the restaurant, or resterace, of my hotel. There I hooked up with some fellow travelers for a game of cards. They taught me how to play “Screw Your Neighbor”.

It’s not a hard game to learn, and I did well, but as I sat and thought about it, I found it very ironic that I was playing a game called “Screw Your Neighbor” and in the morning I would be heading on to Krakow, Poland.

You see, Poland’s being given the evil eye right now. Russia is a bit peeved that the former Soviet state agreed to the U.S. plan for a defensive missile shield. The Czech Republic will also build a radar system the will link in the the missile shield technology.

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What if you discovered that America actually lost the Cold War?

When you accept the truth that the Cold War was an American catastrophe, everything starts to make sense from an investment perspective. Even the craziest money-making ideas, like giant shopping malls in Siberia.

You have to check it out…

This article about the new Siberian mall ran in the May 17th issue of the New York Times. It’s a must-read for investors interested in emerging markets such as Russia. The story is important, not only for its gist, but for what it doesn’t tell you. It’s a classic case of Big Media delivering the sizzle without the meat.

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