Greece Puts Bilderbergs' Favorite Resort For Sale

Looks like the long-anticipated E-bay auction for Santorini may be closer than expected: in the aftermath of Greece's now absolutely bankrupt status, whereby the comatose patient is kept alive only thanks to a Made in Germany ventilator, it was only a matter of time before the country started with the Blue light special firesales. Sure enough from Bloomberg: "National Bank of Greece SA is preparing to sell an Athenian Riviera resort, visited by world leaders and movie stars for more than half a century, in a test of the country’s ability to sell assets amid concern that it will leave the euro. The 3.3 million-square-foot Astir Palace complex has already drawn investors’ interest, according to Aristotelis Karytinos, general manager of real estate at the lender. The Athens-based bank and Greece’s privatization fund, which owns part of the property, will put out a public tender in coming months, he said." Why is the Astir Palace unique? "Since its opening in 1960, the resort’s guests have included Jackie Onassis, Nelson Mandela, Tony Blair, Jane Fonda and Frank Sinatra, according to the resort’s website. Astir Palace in 1993 and 2009 hosted the Bilderberg conference." Something tells us we know just where the winning bid for the last remaining Greek assets may come from.

ZeroHedge

It's a shame (or, sham, perhaps). Athens and the Isles is the beauty of the med and has always attracted world tourism (and, it seems, the Bilderbergs).

They (Greece, be it citizen or bank) shouldn't be selling anything off. They ought to do just what Iceland did, withdraw from the union and wipe their slate CLEAN rather than give up the only resources they have left!

That would be like us selling Hawaii to China.

Ironically, the "value" is rather meaningless. When it all comes crashing down, Greece will have collected pieces of paper for land that try hard as they might, foreigners simply can't pick up and take home with them.

The level of interest in Greece at this site is rather low, so I am not going to start another thread for this...

www.guardian.co.uk...

4.43pm: Germany finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble has warned this afternoon that European banks should not get direct access to funding from the Eurozone bailout fund until European banking supervision has been established.

Well you know whats going to happen Wolfgang is that people will build their own trade hubs, and then look to connect them. And I am not interested in doing this project in a hap hazard way.

So either you fumble along, or you have to unite. Now I don't understand why, Greece is still having troubles getting a consensus.

I take it you are pushing for a central bank. You probably feel that if I fix this crisis through economic development you may not get your central bank.

Well I think that its more an issue of deciding if that is the best course of action and I haven't decided yet and I will tell you why. Your emergency, is not my emergency. And I want t do things on a firm platform of economic stability an not do things out of desperation.
Do you think I understand the problem? After i created the real estate boom and worked with Alan to create a soft landing.
Well I realize that it was not as soft as some bankers would have liked. So death and taxes Wolfgang some things you can count on and German banking I would think you can count on.

Greece well, they need some time but I am pushing hard right now to get that route fixed. Please don't everyone wait for me.
I know it takes time to plan and build and it doesn't happen over night but you know, I am still friends with America, maybe one of their last friends, and if you turn them loose, they will surprise you just how quickly they can get things done. Lets suppose we were to start talking machinery, equipment, and the like well the lobby groups will be on them right away to get as heavily involved as possible to try and get those lucrative contracts.
Well you know that maybe that is not the best way to proceed, to just give all the contracts to America.
At the same time, I think we need to at least get them involved and at present, their involvement is not extensive.

You know you talk about things taking time well Europe is not fast moving. It always takes you twice as long as anyone else to get your political agreements through since you have such a diverse group of cultures in the union.

I want to diversify, the Greek economy. I think its clearly too vulnerable. I do not want to encourage tourism and go back to the way things were. I want them to be active in trade but also light industry, and fish farming, and e-commerce.
Shipping but it takes an Aristotle Onasis to make Greek shipping what it was. So yes I am encouraging Syrian shipping and Cyprus shipping I think that the potential market in the emerging nations is something perhaps people are vastly underestimating. Maybe you don't know their culture.

You know the Spanish culture though and you would know about the Portugese.
The Portuguese buy very expensive furniture for their houses it goes in the living room, and then they cover it with plastic, and no one is allowed to use it except when company comes over. But they don't care how much that furniture costs or how long they have to work to get it. They want it in the wedding pictures.

Well there are other cultures like that. Where as soon as it is not an impossible dream, they become serious consumers of expensive goods beyond their means.
The future looks bright and yes I am going camping at a time like this because, your emergency is not my emergency although I feel for you and I will support your central banking system if that is what you want.
You know you may have to spend a bit before things get back on track.

I have no idea what you intend to do about default swaps that are still stuck in the books, I do not favor gambling, and maybe you will need to pass a new law, before you will be able to write some of that off but remember you need earnings before you can write things off.

reply to post by Rocketman7


When we bring tourism back, its going to look different. There are some issues that need to be resolved before we can do that. Issues of global security and we want to be able to face the future with some sort of organized structure in place. The issue of large scale disasters and pandemics these are not things you can gamble on.

So we will work towards a new method, since the previous one has broken down. And its not part of our push for trade and commerce right now because we have to reorganize the military and that takes at least a couple years if not more.

One thing first is jobs. So we need economic development and we are going great guns into trade.
So then at present we are holding the world at slow growth to limit inflation.

If we can get a global system of trade hubs organized then we can use that to curb inflation since it will happen naturally by competition.

But you know that countries are still heavily involved in protectionist practices.

Now maybe from a European point of view and even from an Israeli point of view that sounds like it could take forever, but you know when we all work together, we can multi-task very well. And when it comes to economics, well business wants to leap on opportunities, not wait for them to pass them by.

Did I say furniture? Who makes furniture? Furnishings. High end furnishings. Europe will do well there.
Providing we steer the economy that way and I think we can do that.

The trade off may be that America will get some contracts for machinery in the trade hubs, but Japan will get contracts for automated systems. Robotics etc.The hubs themselves are not the most lucrative part of this for Europe, it is opening up the consumer market for European goods in the emerging nations of Pakistan, India, Indonesia and China.
Where you have any sort of strong class distinctions they like status symbols.

Now as far as vehicles for the shipping company, trucks vans etc, well Mercedes might do well, but they have some strong competitors. You know those Sprint Vans, are doing really well.
www.mbsprinterusa.com...

I want our trucks to look good. And we want quality and we can afford it.

Food is another thing that Greece does well. Before everyone gets giddy about large industrial expansion, lets just try to focus on food and the aspect of global food management, so that we can work to get this done without a lot of pressure from industry. Agriculture. Lets start there.

reply to post by Rocketman7


Go ahead with your plans for a central banking system then, and I will look at it next week.
I haven't had a chance in the last month because I have been busy looking at the Silk Road.
So I will tell you what to do, piggy back your central banking on our development plan, then you won't be so hounded by the press every day and you will be able to reach agreements quicker.
So the economic development plan will be your diversion and you can use it as an excuse when needed just don't go overboard because even if we don't do the trade hubs we will do your Central Bank.
But along with that I want a new type of institution that does not lend money at all, but it takes deposits, gives interest, and it sells banking services.
As part of that. If you will agree to that we have a deal.
And again I will invite you to examine the Royal Bank model, where they separate financial services from banking services.
So this new institution should have other types of institutions besides just old fashioned banks.
We want to build in some stability.
Protect people's savings. They are tired of being the victims of gamblers Wolfgang.

reply to post by Rocketman7


Could a bank, that does not lend money, but takes deposits and gives interest, to savings accounts and makes its money through small fees and selling banking services ( a very big business these days) could a bank like that collapse?
No, it can't.

Now I am not suggesting you make all banks like that, but I want an option for the people who just want their money safe in the bank. They may be old or infirm or inexperienced investors, they may be anyone, who just wants a bit of financial security. And they want something made of bricks and mortar, and not empty promises.

They don't want yet another excuse why their money is gone.

Now those who want higher returns ok, business as usual. A strong Central bank will make Europe a contender again.
Show me your plan next week.

In the mean time, don't be ultra conservative, and if some of these countries on the Silk Road want to get started right away, then back them with funds. We will multi-task and we can use the diversion from yet another problem with Greece and their banking problems. And their fiscal responsibility.

They need a hub. That is what they need. Now we can start with a plan for food type products and then branch out. I am going to be pushing for them to develop their fish farming industry. Even though its very small today it has great potential and a guaranteed market on the Silk Road.
And then they can middle sea food, since they will do that by nature anyway.

But also light industry, and some furnishings, what ever happened to all those Greek sculptors we have heard so much about?

reply to post by Rocketman7


We will have to carry Greece for a little while. We have agreed to let them get reorganized over a two year period. I have seen how much they need and how much they are getting and its affordable.
We are going to see them recover, its a fact of life that as soon as you fix the Silk Road, Greek businessmen will find their opportunities.

reply to post by Rocketman7


One other item of business is how we are going to be fair about inclusion of banks within the trade hub sites.
And thats going to require some types of agreements or else we will just go with whoever pays the highest lease and we will auction those leases off. The G20 could get stymied by that because their own countries individually will insist they push for them, meanwhile we want this to be a business.

So how about when the G20 has picked the board of directors for the global company, we let them handle it and we will load up the directors with our friends and cronies and then ambush the others lol
No wait, that is the usual way things are done. Lets do it by electing or twisting arms of Internet heroes, and we will then have a good board of directors, and they being some of the most savvy business people around these days, can handle the issue of business banking and who gets to be inside the hub where the action is.

In Canada we have the big 5 and they manage their own business and compete.

reply to post by Rocketman7


At present Wolfgang I am electing you. I am giving you extraordinary discretional powers, to at present favor those banks that need to make some revenue, in order to be able to write off that huge debt load they are carrying.

So some short term favoritism to help them get back on their feet as it pertains to the Silk Road.
Which is the key to Europe's financial recovery. And anyone who does not agree does not have the health of the entire system in mind.

reply to post by Rocketman7


Can I give you some idea of the changes that will take place in global travel? Well I can give you an overview, so that industry can steer towards the future. In business, the customer is always right.
The customer is king.
So when a person or family or group goes on holiday, they want the most pleasant experience they can have.
Yet we need security. Well we want to gear ourselves towards systems that are not so obvious that it makes their travel unbearable.

Now at present we are purposely making their travel unbearable to give us time to reorganize the way we look at potential dangers. See the Wiki on the Military Budget. See Gates.

But as an overview there are issues of taking the wealth of a nation and blowing it carelessly and that includes people using money that was collected as taxes, for a purpose within that country, that money being given as protectionist practice and the people going on holiday if you want an extreme example.

So we will continue to curtail tourism until we can also get a good plan for immigration and presently that is tied to labor costs and well one step at a time. First, get a trade system in place, get people back to work, then we will be able to do a better job of treating the tourist as a welcome visitor.
Thats not something on my agenda for the next 2 years.
The military has to reorganize and we need to discuss immigration policies.