Episode 229 - Feroze Sidhwa

Trauma surgeon and humanitarian physician Feroze Sidhwa has worked in healthcare systems across the globe. From volunteering in Ukraine to Haiti, from Zimbabwe to Burkina Faso, Feroze has seen it all. However, his extensive time in Gaza is what inspired him to write an open letter to the White House, detailing the humanitarian crisis he had observed there. That letter, signed by dozens of other doctors working in Gaza, was eventually published by the New York Times. This week, he joins Charlie on the Cripescast to discuss his open letter, the response to it, and more of what he experienced working as a trauma surgeon and physician abroad. Keep up with Feroze on X @FerozeSidhwa. Check out GazaHealthcareLetters.org to read Feroze’s letter and to email the White House. Follow the Cripescast on all platforms @cripescast and check out cripescast.com for tour info, merch, and more. Further information and resources regarding this episode: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmintdev/487/48705.htm https://www.npr.org/2023/10/19/1206479861/israel-gaza-hamas-children-population-war-palestinians  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_Strip_famine https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2024/11/20/an-a-z-of-the-children-israel-killed-in-gaza https://www.unescwa.org/sites/default/files/pubs/pdf/war-gaza-dedliest-100-twenty-first-century-policy-brief-english.pdf https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/21/middleeast/gaza-war-israeli-soldiers-ptsd-suicide-intl/index.html https://gaza-patterns-harm.airwars.org/#demographics https://truthout.org/articles/israel-has-killed-2100-babies-under-2-years-old-in-gaza-rights-group-says/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1422394/palestinian-territories-number-of-internally-displaced-refugees-in-gaza-after-israeli-air-strike/#:~:text=Around%2090%20percent%20of%20Gaza%27s,counterstrikes%20of%20the%20Israeli%20military.

The perfect way to start the new year? A brand new Cripescast episode chock full of inspiration. Supplying the advice is Wayne White, renowned artist and Emmy award-winning designer for Pee-wee’s Playhouse, and Joel Hodgson, creator of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and return Cripescast guest. The two join Charlie to discuss the importance of creativity throughout their careers and the impact of AI on art today. Beyond their mutual concern for AI taking over the world, the three bond over their involvement in and love for Joey’s Song, an annual charity event held in Madison, Wisconsin to raise money and awareness for epilepsy research. While Charlie’s unable to attend in person this year, he’s helping Wayne and Joel with their comedy show on January 10th.  For tickets to Joey’s Song, including Joel and Wayne’s Cheese-Capades comedy show, visit joeyssong.org. Follow Wayne @waynewhiteart and Mystery Science Theater 3000 at @mst3k.  Follow us on all platforms @cripescast. For information on merch, Patreon, and tour, visit cripescast.com.

It’s the Cripescast Wrapped episode! This week we’re using our final episode of the year to highlight some of our best moments from 2024. From Grandma Sue getting pulled over, to the weirdest things Christian Yelich has ever autographed, to so much more. Buckle in for an episode full of our guests’ wildest stories, funniest moments, and juiciest bits of gossip. Thanks for listening this year and we’ll see ya in 2025! Until then, watch out for reindeer. 🦌 Follow us on all platforms @cripescast! For behind the scenes and exclusive content, check out patreon.com/charlieberens! Comment your favorite episode from this year!

Wisconsin environmental conservationist Aldo Leopold never could have imagined the global impact that his 1949 book A Sand County Almanac would have on the world. To celebrate its 75th anniversary, president and executive director of the Aldo Leopold Foundation, Buddy Huffaker, joins Charlie on the Cripescast this week. Having worked for the foundation for over 20 years, Buddy is one of millions that have been inspired by A Sand County Almanac. So much so that he’s made conservation and education his life’s work. In this episode, Buddy and Charlie discuss Aldo’s writings, as well as the work that the foundation does, not only to maintain land, but to keep Aldo’s message alive.  For more information about the Aldo Leopold Foundation, visit their website https://www.aldoleopold.org. Follow them on X @aldoleopoldfdn and on all other platforms at @aldoleopoldfoundation.  Find us on all social platforms @cripescast and at cripescast.com for all show information. Visit patreon.com/charlieberens to get access to bonus content, early ticket information, giveaways, and more! To continue supporting Doctors Without Borders, follow them at @doctorswithoutborders or donate at doctorswithoutborders.org.

It’s that time again! This week Charlie is back with another Q&A episode of the Cripescast, where he reveals his deepest fears, his favorite conspiracy theories, and his thoughts on the new Wicked movie. Find us on all social platforms @cripescast and at cripescast.com for all show information. Visit patreon.com/charlieberens to get access to bonus content, early ticket information, giveaways, and more! To continue supporting Doctors Without Borders, follow them at @doctorswithoutborders or donate at doctorswithoutborders.org.

Surprise! We got a special mini-episode of the Cripescast with LeRoy Butler to be thankful for this week. Leroy and Charlie break down the 2024-2025 Packers’ season thus far, including their reactions to the blocked field goal against the Bears in week 10. Follow LeRoy @leap3636! Find us on all social platforms @cripescast and at cripescast.com for all show information. Visit patreon.com/charlieberens to get access to bonus content, early ticket information, giveaways, and more!

Ryland Brickson Cole Tews knew that he was a part of something special while filming Hundreds of Beavers. The critics agree. The 2022 film has taken off in unimaginable ways by screening in over 70 film festivals since its release, receiving a 97% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and earning a spot as the second-highest rated movie of 2024 on Letterboxd. Filmed in Northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula over two winters, Hundreds of Beavers is a black and white, “no-dialogue”, slapstick comedy reminiscent of Buster Keaton films and Saturday morning cartoons. Ryland joins Charlie on the Cripescast this week to talk about the process of making the movie, from start to finish, how his dad became prop master, and using beer as a form of payment. As a true Wisconsinite, Ryland shares that his biggest pet peeve is warm beer.  Follow Hundreds of Beavers @beaversfilm on X and all other platforms @hundredsofbeavers. Visit hundredsofbeavers.com for tickets to the December 5th screenings. Find us on all social platforms @cripescast and at cripescast.com for all show information. Visit patreon.com/charlieberens to get access to bonus content, early ticket information, giveaways, and more! To continue supporting Doctors Without Borders, follow them at @doctorswithoutborders or donate at doctorswithoutborders.org.

Starting out comedy in New York City in the early 2000s, Yannis Pappas has seen how stand up has changed over the last 20 years. You proabbly recognize him from his numerous stand up specials or from his podcasts “The Yannis Pappas Hour” or “History Hyenas” with Chris Distefano. Needless to say, he’s seen it all. In this episode, Charlie has met his match as they go down the existential rabbit hole about social media, climate change, and AI. Beyond the spiral, they talk about Milwaukee hot spots, the ways in which parenting humbles a person, and Yannis’s petition for more daddy-daughter public bathrooms for all the girl dads out there. Follow Yannis on all platforms @yannispappas and get tickets to his December 6th & 7th shows in Milwaukee at yannispappascomedy.com. Find us on all social platforms @cripescast and at cripescast.com for all show information. Visit patreon.com/charlieberens to get access to bonus content, early ticket information, giveaways, and more! To continue supporting Doctors Without Borders, follow them at @doctorswithoutborders or donate at doctorswithoutborders.org.

Becky Robinson loves character work. This is evident through her numerous online personas, including her most viral one, “The Entitled Housewife”. Before the hard seltzer-drinking and golf-loving housewife catapulted her comedy career, Becky spent a decade working hard on her stand up chops as well as picking up random odd jobs to make ends meet. This week, she joins Charlie on the Cripescast and two discuss their parents’ initial reactions to their sketches, the drama-filled reality of country clubs, and both of their career goals. Stick around to the end of the episode to hear Charlie’s Midwest Dad character get into a heated debate with the Entitled Housewife.  Follow Becky @beckyrobinson4 and @entitledhousewife, and find her tour dates at beckyrobinsonthegreat.com. Find us on all social platforms @cripescast and at cripescast.com for all show information. Visit patreon.com/charlieberens to get access to bonus content, early ticket information, giveaways, and more! To continue supporting Doctors Without Borders, follow them at @doctorswithoutborders or donate at doctorswithoutborders.org.

Kathleen Madigan is a Midwest girl through and through. Although she’s spent the last 33 years doing stand up comedy around the world, her Missouri roots still make the Midwest feel like home. Over the course of her career, Kathleen has made over 40 appearances on daytime and late-night talk shows, performed for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has earned over 10 million downloads on her podcast Madigan’s Pubcast. With six comedy specials already under her belt, she’s currently gearing up to film her seventh at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee. Aside from comedy, she and Charlie connect over growing up in large Catholic families, their love for common hobbies like fishing and gambling, and commiserate about the worst parts of golfing. Kathleen also shares her airplane grievances and which Midwest-ish city she thinks is America’s best kept secret.  Follow Kathleen on Instagram @officialkathleenmadigan or X @KathleenMadigan. Check out her website kathleenmadigan.com for tour dates and tickets, including tickets to her special taping at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee in April! Find us on all social platforms @cripescast and at cripescast.com for all show information. Visit patreon.com/charlieberens to get access to bonus content, early ticket information, giveaways, and more! To continue supporting Doctors Without Borders, follow them at @doctorswithoutborders or donate at doctorswithoutborders.org.