We discuss the history of immigration in the United States and converse with Joe Laughon, a contributor to Cafeconlecherepublicans.com.  He helps to dispell some misunderstandings about immigration laws and attitudes past and present.  We discuss the use of terms like "illegal immigrant" and "undocumented worker".  What's the virtuous response to todays immigration debates?  Listen in to hear a unique, and arguably sane, perspective.

We discuss the ethics, aesthetics, and humanitarian possibilities for those who have the vocation of architecture.  After some banter between our co-hosts, Jeff interviews Ian Lodge, who oversees the Cal-Earth Institute operation, in Hesperia, California.   This is the result of the humanitarian vision of Nadir Khalili, a Persian architect who was influenced by the Sufi mystic Rumi and brought his spiritual values, scientific training, and concern for humanity together through teaching methods of creating sustainable, economical, and artful housing. 

We follow up on old emails, messages, and questions.  We tell a story about loose ends, then conclude with two former students: Tim Olson, an ethnomusicology student and world traveler who sets the record straight on the Afghan national sport, and Lauren Yauk who traveled the world to find the best approach to global development.  Her story is helpful for understanding how young adults think about the world these days, and the obstacles they face as they seek to do good in the world.  

Filmmaker Lev Anderson joins us to talk about his move from city planning to directing documentaries, "Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone" and spend the bulk of our time discussing his upcoming project on the history and future of Irvine, CA the safest city in America, a model of urban planning that is copied around the world, and the epicenter for our podcast.  We start by discussing his recent documentary We discuss the ethics and art of city planning, and the ways in which it affects our lives.

Bonus B-Sides are in depth conversations with professionals who join us to talk about why they like what they like and how exercising their vocations can cultivate virtue in our cultural wasteland.

UFC star and advocate for the Mbuti (Pygmy) people of the Congo joins us to answer the question whether it is virtuous to compete in and watch mixed martial arts competition.  Gladiators or artists?  You'll get a chance to find out the inner details of the sport and decide for yourself.  

To help us understand our Muslim neighbors, and the ways in which thoughtful dialog can take place without being disengenous, we brought in an expert in historical and contemporary Christian-Muslim relations, Dr. Adam Francisco.  Adam is an Oxford alumnus, an author of a book on the topic and Assoc. Prof. of History at Concordia University Irvine.

Interview with Dan Deen, philosophy prof, on the relationship between virtue and knowledge.  We talk about Dan's doctoral adviser Michael Ruse and ways of doing debate between atheists and theists.  

Dan and Jeff interview Prof. Joel Oesch about his doctoral research on facebook and theology.  

We interview psychologist, Dr. Betsi Little-Van Fossen about the ways in which social networks, especially technology, affect our lives.  We also follow up on some aspects of evil, garnering insights about important historical experimental work in the field.  

We interview documentarian and former radio and television host Zeke Piestrup about his new film Apocalypse Later: Harold Camping vs The End of The World. After attending the premiere, we liked his work.  But we were just as intrigued with the story behind the filmmaker. Zeke exemplifies many of the virtues we are seeking in this podcast, so we are glad to present this as our first Bonus B-Side. Dan and Jeff love B-Sides in music, so we expect these to be some of the most interesting shows we release. Nonetheless, as they go into depth with professionals and professors, listeners can look at each topic to determine and select the in-depth conversations they think are most appealing.