Frankly Speaking with Michael Reppas

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome to frankly Speaking, your weekly destination for insight and inspiration,
with your host, Frank Morangos. Frankly Speaking is sponsored by
a HEPPA four two one Chapter of North Miami in
partnership with the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of North Miami.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Good afternoon, and welcome to Frankly Speaking, the weekly talk
show sponsored by the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association or
a HEPPA Chapter four twenty one and the Annunciation Greek
Orthodox Church of North Miami. And I'm your host, Frank Morangos,
and for the next thirty minutes, I will provide you
with frank talk and a lively interview that I hope

(00:47):
will inform and inspire all of us to be more
fully appreciative of the influence of the ancient Hellenic ideals, values,
and faith on our contemporary culture. In a sense, to
this radio show, I want to make America Greek again
as in the past. I appreciate your feedback, so please
feel free to suggest any topics or issues you think

(01:07):
our listeners would be interested in discussing. You can also
recommend a guest for me to interview by emailing me
at Frank at franktalkradio dot com. I'm sure that everyone's
Independence Day celebration yesterday was special as it marked the
two hundred and forty ninth anniversary of the birth of
the United States. Concerts, fairs, festivals, parades featuring marching bands, floats,

(01:31):
and patriotic displays were enjoyed throughout the nation. It was
a day of patriotism, people wearing red, white and blue,
homes and businesses proudly displaying our national flag. And then,
to make this year's holiday even better, it fell on
a Friday, so we are all fortunate to have a
long weekend to continue our gatherings with family and friends.

(01:51):
For those of us who are not traveling, we can't
forget to mention our backyard barbecues, as the fourth is
a popular day for outdoor gatherings with family and friends,
enjoying food, drink, and time spent together. And since grilling
is a popular American pastime, especially among fathers on Independence Day,
I was curious to learn what most of us ate

(02:11):
and drank at yesterday's gatherings, So of course I asked Siri.
Apart from hamburgers, we barbecued and ate one hundred and
fifty million hot dogs. We additionally enjoyed ribs, chicken, slow
cooked pull pork sandwiches. Our side dishes included potato salad,
sweet and tangy baked beans, coleslaw, corn on the cob,
and pasta salad. And because they can be easily transformed

(02:34):
into a red, white and blue dish by using food
coloring or colorful toppings like paprika and blue cheese crumbles,
devilled eggs have also become synonymous with our independent stay cookouts.
Our outdoor picnic tables were also teeming with enjoyable desserts,
watermelon cupcakes, berry cobbler, red white and blue dessert treats,

(02:56):
and of course Grandma's homemade apple pie, one of the
prime symbols of our American culture and if you are
like me, I prefer my pie served warm with some
vanilla ice cream. Finally, apart from lemonade, sweet tea in
a variety of soft drinks, I learned this morning that
Americans also drank and approximately sixty eight million cases of beer.

(03:17):
That means that yesterday alone, some of us consumed nineteen billion,
five hundred and eighty four million ounces of beer at
a cost of four billion dollars but my overview of
yesterday's festivities must also add one last pleasure, perhaps the
most important aspect of Independence Day, namely the fireworks displays

(03:37):
that have become the quintessential part of our nation's annual celebrations.
According to wallet hub dot com, apart from the food
and drink, we spent an estimated two point eight billion
on fireworks. By the way, that's one point two billion
dollars less than we spent on beer consumption. Fireworks have
been part of our Fourth of July celebrations since the

(03:58):
very organized event in Philadelphi on July the fourth, seventeen
seventy seven. The tradition began with a thirteen gun salute
from ship's cannons, followed by fireworks displays on the city plaza.
The practice quickly spread to Boston and other towns throughout
the nation became a common way to celebrate Independence Day. However,
the tradition of celebrating with fireworks, bonfires and processions and

(04:19):
other festivities became widespread after the World War of eighteen twelve.
According to many historians, it was John Adams who, in
a letter to his wife Abigail, expressed this vision for
the day and I quote him it she re celebrated,
he wrote, with pomp and parade, including fireworks, bonfires and illuminations.
End of quotes. But you might be asking yourselves, what
does all of this have to do with ancient Greeks,

(04:42):
their history, culture, and faith that is the focus of
the Frankly Speaking radio show. Well, it might come as
a surprise to learn that the issue of using bonfires
and illuminations to celebrate major cultural and religious events dates
back to the Hellings of the second century BC. While
fireworks as we know them today were celebrated and developed
in China, the ancient Greeks had practices conveying similar symbolic meanings,

(05:04):
but they used bonfires, lavish illuminations, and loud noises to
ward off evil spirits and to celebrate significant milestones. They
designed and employed these elements in religious ceremonies, war victories, festivals,
and even to celebrate births and weddings. The ancient Greeks
also developed a combustible substance known as Greek fire, which

(05:25):
was used in warfare to produce a scorching inferno that
was difficult to extinguish by opposing armies. While not a
firework in the modern sense. It demonstrates that the ancient
Greeks utilized fire in its multi colored radiant potential for
both protection, destruction, and spectacle. The term fireworks itself has
roots in the ancient Greek language. The word is derived

(05:48):
from pyrotechnics, which is a combination of pet fire and
technikos by the art. In fact, the ancient Greeks dedicated
their pyrotechnic celebrations of fire and light to Hephestos, the
Olympic deity of metalworking. Ephestus is commonly referred to as
the Greek god of the forge. A skilled blacksmith often

(06:09):
associated with fire and volcanic activity. He is known for
his craftsmanship, particularly his ability to create intricate and sophisticated items,
including weaponry and armour for his fellow gods. In the Iliad,
Homer suggests that Efestos workshop was located on Mount Olympus.
The famed poet describes the workshop as a place of
incredible ingenuity, with twenty bellows, a forge, and a huge anvil.

(06:32):
You might be surprised to learn that Ephestus is also
credited by Homer with the creation of automatons, self operating
machines that included golden hand maidens with artificial intelligence. This
is well before Elon Musk's Tesla bought Tragically, Apart from
depicting Ephestus as a skilled artisan, the Olympic god was
initially ridiculed for having a physical disability. He was the

(06:55):
son of Hera, that's Zeus's wife, who at birth rejected
and cast him out of Olympus into the sea because
of his deformity. Fortunately, due to his skill and resilience,
Ephestos was eventually returned to Olympus. The myth of Ephestos
highlights many of Aristotle's twelve virtues, in particular the virtues
of resilience, diligence, and ingenuity. Because I've discussed in previous

(07:16):
broadcasts are frankly speaking, the philosopher Aristotle believed everything has
an ultimate purpose, a tellos for humans. The tellos is
to live a life of virtue and achieve what Aristotle
refers to it as evdomonia, a concept in ancient Greek
philosophy that refers to a state of happiness and well
being achieved through living of a virtuous life and fulfilling

(07:37):
one's potential. For Aristotle, Ephestos is an example of evdomonia.
His Tellos, his life's purpose is characterized by the beauty
and not the ugliness of overcoming imperfection. His expertise in
metal work exemplifies excellence or oddity, which Aristotle closely relates
to virtue. His ability to transform raw materials into valuable

(07:58):
creations through hot, hard work and creativity demonstrates the virtue
of diligence, perseverance, and ingenuity. Because of his physical challenges
and eventual triumphs, Ephestos became the archetype of resilience. Since
he was so closely associated with the fire in the forge,
the ancient Greeks came to see him as symbolizing transformation
and renewal, reflecting the process of character development and the

(08:21):
pursuit of virtue in overcoming obstacles, and so the ancient
story of Ephestos is a compelling example of overcoming adversity
through resilience and ingenuity. His life began with difficulty, but
the cruel act of his mother's rejection became the very
catalyst for his transformation, and according to the legend, she
threw him into the sea, but was providentially rescued and

(08:43):
cared for by sea goddesses. It was during this period
of divine guidance that he developed his extraordinary skills as
a craftsman, artists, and finally honing his ability in metalworking
and engineering. It was this talent that ultimately led to
the return of Ephestos to Mount Olympus. He became an
esteemed blacksmith of the gods, crafting weapons and artifacts of

(09:04):
incredible power and beauty. He is credited with the creation
of the thunderbolts of Zeus and the powerful shield of Achilles.
The conception and construction of these artifacts solidified his place
among the major Olympians, not just despite of his ability,
but because of his unique talents. The life journey of
Ephestos highlights the powers of perseverance and creativity in overcoming

(09:26):
limitations and achieving recognition. His story serves as a reminder
that challenges can be turned into strengths, and that the
virtue of resilience can pave the way to success even
in the face of adversity. Fire, in its use in
the design of pyrotechnics, as a prominent place in Greek mythology.
Apart from Hephaestos, it is most famously associated with Prometheus,

(09:48):
who stole fire from the Olympian gods and then shared
it with humanity. Consequently, it had a practical, symbolic and
even divine significance to the Greek mind. In practical terms,
it was both extremely dangerous and extremely useful. Elementally, it
was conceived as a basic force of nature, in one
of the four elements of nature earth, water, air, fire,

(10:09):
and theologically it was connected to intelligence, wisdom, and spiritual vision.
Unlike the Titan Prometheus, Ephestos is often depicted as a
bearded older man holding a hammer and tongs, the humble
tools of a blacksmith, and sometimes rioting a donkey. But
he is fundamentally a powerful Greek god of the forge,
a key personality in the design and construction of pyrotechnics.

(10:32):
So as we continue to express our oohs and our
ahs during the sophisticated expressions of our respective weekend firework displays,
let us not forget that the pyrotechnics of independence, they
should be understood as primarily symbolizing freedom, celebrating national pride
and the joy of our country is birth. Fireworks represents
our nation's resilience, triumph and the possibility that comes with

(10:55):
the dependence. It might therefore be valuable to pause and
also reflect on the life of Ephestos, who, in the
life forge fire resilience, overcame the challenges of rejection and deformity.
When we returned, we will be speaking with Michael Ripas,
a noted attorney and chief legal officer at the Whitestone
Holdings of Miami, flord. I look forward to learning how
his Hellenic heritage influenced his own personal and professional life journey.

Speaker 3 (11:23):
We thank the a HEPPA four twenty one North Miami
chapter for their sponsorship of Frankly speaking, you know. They
promote the ancient Hellenic ideas of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, family,
and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism. They offer
scholarships annually to support students seeking higher education. A HEPPA
supports other organizations, including the Saint Basel Academy in New York,

(11:46):
IOCC hurricane relief efforts, and the local Annunciation GOOC. If
you're interested in donating to help support these efforts, email
a HEPPA four twenty one North Miami at gmail dot com.
That's a HEPPA four twenty one Northmiami at gmail dot com.
A HEPA four twenty one, Northmiami at gmail dot com.

(12:12):
Welcome back to Frankly Speaking. It is Brian mud Pinch
hitting four Frank Morangos, and Frank always does such a
wonderful job with frankly Speaking and helping educate all of us.
One of the great things that that Frankly Speaking brings
to you people who have incredible perspective in insight, noted
Greek philanthropists and successful local personalities, people that have been

(12:34):
world traveled and have seen the influence of Greek culture
throughout the world. And we actually are pleased to be
joined by a gentlemen who checks every one of those boxes.
Joining us is mister Michael Reapas. He is the chief
legal Officer and trial attorney at Whetstone Holdings. A native
of Columbus, Ohio, mister Repus is a graduate of the

(12:56):
Ohio State University, double majored in Great Modern Greek Studies
political Science. Earned his Juris doctor degree from Saint Thomas
University School of Law in Miami. His llm and International
Law from the University of Miami School of Law. A
member of the Florida, New York and DC Bar Associations,
focusing primarily on state, federal, and international business litigation. Also

(13:19):
happens to be one of the world's foremost legal scholars
on cultural property and the international debate over the Parthenon
sculptures and elegant marbles. You want to talk about an
accomplished individual and someone of a varied interest. Thank you
so much for taking the time with us on frankly
speaking today.

Speaker 4 (13:39):
First of all, I'm flattered by that introduction. That was
very very nice of you, and it is my sincere
pleasure to be on this program. Thank you.

Speaker 3 (13:46):
Often you don't find people that have the kind of
legal background you do, but also the artistic and cultural
background that you do. Tell us a little bit about
that and how it ties into Hellenic culture as well,
if so.

Speaker 4 (14:01):
I think as a as an individual, I've I've just
had a lot of hats that I like like to wear.
I've just been drawn to different areas I've been I've
been drawn to, you know, to history. I've been drawn
to the law. I've been drawn to music and art
and and I think all of that stems from my upbringing.

(14:24):
My father, an immigrant from Greece, very proud and he
you know, took me to you know, to church every Sunday.
He worked you know, Monday through Saturday, your typical restaurant immigrant.
And uh, you know, I sang in the choir from
the time I was geez five years old, So I
was I was exposed to you know, not just the

(14:46):
religious you know experience, but but also to the to
the harmonies of a of a large choir. And and
grew up you know, hearing stories about you know, mythology
and and and sort of comparing them today, you know,
to what's going on today. And I grew up up
up hearing you know, about you know, the great successes

(15:08):
of of of ancient Greece and and Socrates and the
philosophy and the law and the development of all that.
So I sort of really truly, even though I was
born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, I have a very
classical education, I think from from directly from from my father.
So I think that sort of grounded me and sort

(15:28):
of guided me and sort of also let me know
that I don't just have to do one thing in
my life, i e. You know, through a career, I
can I can I can really allow myself to you know,
to to to go into different areas and and and
and give my heart and soul into multiple platforms. So
as I grew, as I went through law school and

(15:49):
started publishing academically, I was publishing on subjects that you know,
meant something to me, such as, you know, the Parthenon
sculptures and the debate of looted antiquities. And from that
point forward, I just I didn't I didn't allow myself
just to be stuck in in a litigation firm whereby
you know, I'm just running to court and just just

(16:09):
doing the normal things, trying to be a partner. I
sort of forced my way into you know, a position
where I can lecture on this topic. So I started
lecturing at churches, and it went on and on, and
ultimately I've lectured at unesco. I still lecture, you know,
at least twice a year now. I've I've published a
lot on the subject. I've I've done, I've done my best,

(16:32):
you know, musically, also I've I've recorded, and you know,
I have a couple albums. I think I think it's
just that not having fear of being able to do
a lot of things. I think I think I've been
blessed in that regard. So I I kind of go
for everything that is of interest to me.

Speaker 3 (16:50):
That's incredible. You can hear the passion that you bring
and that you must have for the depth of your
education and also the realm of your experience that you
have deployed all of your knowledge into every time. You know,
you mentioned in publishing as well, you have a book.
Why don't we just sue the British Museum that you've

(17:11):
actually donated all of the proceeds to to the cause
of uh, you know, the the lost antiquities, and tell
us about that and what has been a real problem.

Speaker 4 (17:23):
Yeah, I I appreciate that that that question. I think
it's I think in answering that question, hopefully I'm going
to be instructive to the younger generation. Who who could
be listening, you know right now. So I'm I'm speaking from,
you know, a position of being a thirty year trial lawyer,
so a career, a successful you know, business career. I'm

(17:47):
chief legal officer a very large company and and I'm
looking back, I think I've I'm a better person and
I'm better qualified to do you know, my my my
job because I have that passion and I didn't quell
that passion when I was when I was younger, I

(18:09):
didn't just focus on the job. I focused on, you know,
making me individually happy, letting me do things that I
needed intellectually to do, to not limit myself. So when
I started writing on this subject, I was very lucky.
I was in law school and I published a you know,
an article you know, in the Law Review. That's that's

(18:32):
not a common you know, it's not not a common
thing to happen. And when I was searching for a subject,
I remember my father telling me about, you know, the
the lutered Parthenon pieces that were in the British Museum,
and you know, it was a little sense of soreness
for him. But didn't really have that much experience, you know,
personally involved. So normally, when you do a research article,

(18:56):
you start by finding out who else has written on
this subject and what other academya you know, is out
there that's already touched on the subject. So I thought
that you know, me being the super proud, you know,
Greek American, I expected rather that there there would be
just an abundance of articles out there by uh, you know,

(19:16):
other Greek lawyers, uh you know who would have gone
and run down every avenue, and and and and made
their arguments why that these these pieces needed to be returned,
but there were none. And I was I was embarrassed,
and I was outraged. I I couldn't believe how many

(19:38):
hundreds of thousands of you know, Greek American lawyers perhaps
have have passed our way and and not one of
them published a law review articles. So so I sort
of wrote I wrote that article with a very angry
edge to me, because it was a sort of you know,
I didn't write it to publish it. I wrote it

(19:58):
to to voice, you know, my objection to the law
that allowed alluding of you know, such a such a
worldwide and worldwide recognized piece of cultural property. So went
very well, and you know I published that in Fordom
So it was you know, from from that point forward,

(20:23):
I then started to be asked to, you know, to
give lectures on it, and as I sort of alluded
to earlier, I just did some initial lectures at that churches,
and that just kind of spread.

Speaker 3 (20:35):
What's your favorite related story, something that maybe you uncovered
that hadn't previously been known.

Speaker 4 (20:41):
Yeah, I think I think my analysis, which was unique,
It really focused on the absence of a written document.
So the story there at that time was that the
you know, the the British Lord Elgin had a written
a thought from the Sultan to remove those pieces from

(21:03):
from the parsman. That was the story. There was never
you know, it was never a question. It was just
presented as a as a fact. So one of the
things that I did was was, it's a sort of
akin to a Foyer request that we have here in
the US Freedom of Information Act, where you can ask
the government to release certain documents if you know, if

(21:24):
they're over fifty years old or whatever these qualifications are.
So I did that, you know, to the in England
and I and I made a formal Foyer request for
the transcripts of the original parliamentary interview with Elgin, whereby
when he arrived in England, you know, from Europe, he

(21:46):
was ambassador to the to the Ottoman Empire. When he
when he came back, he had to sell everything because
he was going into bankruptcy, and the Parliament decided, hey,
we'll consider buying them, let's interview you. And Parliament effectively
interrogated him and they asked him all the questions, how
did you acquire this what was the you know, by
what right? They were concerned that he had looted rather

(22:09):
than you know, legally acquired you know, these these pieces.
And he repeatedly said, yes, I have written authority. It's
called the Vermont I have it, I have it, I
have it. He didn't have it. His one of his
colleagues showed up about two weeks later and gave an
Italian copy of this document to Parliament the original no

(22:35):
mention where the original one, uh was? And and and
it was subsequently there too made part of of of
the record. So Elgin spoke English. Everyone in his party
spoke English. Uh. The you know, the the original Firmam
obviously was was going to be written, you know, in

(22:57):
in the Ottoman language of the time. So how it
came about to have an Italian copy of of an
English speaking document that was apparently never translated, it just
didn't make any sense to me. So I really focused
on that and the limitations and the problems.

Speaker 3 (23:16):
Again the book. Why don't we just sue the British
Museum and time goes so quickly. Mister reapus, as we
are in this Independence Day weekend, what would you like
to share to folks around South Florida, what from a
Greek perspective does Independence Day mean to you?

Speaker 4 (23:36):
For either tied together? You know, I again, you know,
being raised, you know, in a Greek in a Greek house,
I'm aware of Greek independence, and I'm and I'm aware of,
you know, nearly four hundred years of you know, of
occupation and of being subjected class slaves in essence, and

(23:57):
I'm aware of what freedom means and independence means. So
you know, growing up in Ohio, it wasn't just American
independence that I recognized. And and you know, sort of
the subjectivity that's that's that's naturally you know, inherent in
that sort of you know, relationship. But I could appreciate

(24:19):
it from another perspective because you know, my history was
was one of you know, being the subjective class and
come to America and guess what, so was America's And
and for me it was sort of a double celebration,
you know, because because I could recognize both and I
really have a taste for an appreciation for, you know,

(24:42):
what what freedom means. So you know, I celebrate both
and I think they're both significant parts of of my
understanding of of of how lucky we are to be
where we are today.

Speaker 3 (24:55):
Michael Rapist, the chief legal officer and trial attorney at
Wetstone Holding and again noted author Philanthropists, really an insightful individual.
Thank you so much for taking the time with us
and sharing some of your insight.

Speaker 4 (25:10):
It was sincerely my pleasures.

Speaker 2 (25:11):
Thank you very much, Brian, thank you for joining me today.
Unfrankly speaking, as I mentioned in my monologue, Ifestos is
commonly referred to as the Greek god of the forge,
the patron of blacksmith's, the father of fireworks. While the
ancient Greeks didn't have fireworks in the modern sense, Greeks
in the previous centuries did have a tradition of using
rockets in religious celebration, particularly during Easter. On the island

(25:33):
of Hos, this event was known as Rocqueto polemos So
rocket war that involved rival groups launching homemade rockets at
each other's church bell towers. Let me briefly explain the tradition,
specific to the town of Rondados on the island of Heos,
involves two rival churches launching thousands of homemade rockets at

(25:54):
each other's bell towers. The skyrockets are homemade, comprised of
heads loaded with gun power base propellant tied to a
wooden guide stick. These rockets are then lined up by
the hundreds and fired from angles and grooved platforms. The
exect origin of the tradition is unclear, but local legend
holds that it dates back to the Autumnan period, and

(26:15):
according to the folklore, real cannons were once used until
the Ottoman authorities prohibited these in eighteen eighty nine. Rockets
are fired between two rival parishes built on two hilltops
about four hundred meters apart. During the battle, direct hits
on the belfries are supposedly counted the next day to
determine the winner, but each paris invariably claims victory. The

(26:37):
result of this apparent disagreement is both parishes agreed to
settle the score the following Easter, and the custom is
thus perpetuated. The churches in nearby buildings are extensively boarded
up and protected with metal sheets and mesh for the occasion.
Several residents regularly express dismay at the explosive nature of
the custom, but it is a source of significant seasonal

(26:57):
tourist revenue for the area. The event was canceled in
twenty sixteen to complaints of property damage from some locals,
but was revived again in twenty seventeen with new regulations
on the duration of the battle and the number of
rockets launched. So, as mister Guspertocolos insisted in my big
fat Greek wedding, there you go. Give me any word

(27:18):
and I will show you its Greek grout. But to
be honest, the word rocket is not a Greek word.
Its origin traces back to Italian, specifically the word roquetto
sounds Greek but Italian, which was then barred into other languages,
eventually making its way into the English. So thank you
for joining me today on Frankly Speaking, a show that
seeks to provide frank talk and lively interviews about the

(27:39):
influence of ancient Hellenic ideals, values, and faith on our
contemporary culture to help make America Greek again. If you
would like to share a question and or suggest a
future guest or topic, I would love to hear from
you at frank the franktalkradio dot com.