Real talk, Real people

I thought COVID-19 had shown us the worse it could bring but I was wrong. The virus is raging stronger than ever and the death tolls are at unprecedented levels here in the U.S. 

As of Friday, the U.S. was averaging 247,200 new cases a day and averaging 2,982 deaths per day. 

Whether you agree or disagree with taking the vaccine available, you should understand the pros and cons. And for that, we go back to a conversation with Gary Spinner of the Southwest Community Health Center in Bridgeport.

We finally have our own website. Our new podcasts will now be uploaded to jameswalkermedia.com --- but we will continue to also upload them here for a period of time. 

A little more than a year ago, Real talk, Real people put out its first podcast. It took about five months before people began to show interest, but little by little, we began to pick up more listeners. We decided to add a website, which allows us more flexibility and gives us the space to add more content and explore other ideas we are interested in bringing to you. 

What does it mean to have faith -- and how far can it carry you during dark periods in your life?

My guest is the Rev. Alfred Smith of Macedonia Baptist Church in Ansonia.  He said it was his faith that kept him strong during a year in which his left foot was amputated, family members died from COVID-19 and between the surgery and recovery time, spent 117 days alone due to the virus.

He said life doesn't play fair but faith will pull you through. 

If 2020 has done nothing else, it has reinforced my fear of being old and stuck in a nursing home. 

The CT Adult Family Living Program offers an alternative for those people who wish to stay home by paying a family member, loved one or home aid to take of them.

My guest is Monica Perry, a soft spoken, longtime home health care worker. She has spent 40 plus years caring for others.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I am frustrated with people who refuse to wear a mask in public even as COVID-19 resurges more deadlier than ever. Deaths nationwide may exceed 300,000 before Christmas.  

This is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year but I have never known the news to be so grim.

I also have never known people to be so callous and have such disregard for the value of human life by refusing to wear a mask. 

I know what they say in front of the cameras and what they say when they stand at a podium delivering a speech. But has anyone tried to contact Democrats U.S. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal with a problem? 

I did.  They are two of the most recognizable “liberal” names in politics.  I guess that is why I was bitterly disappointed by the response or lack of response from their offices -- and I am not alone. 

My guest this week is Brock Bacote, a New Haven resident. He had just been released from the Brooklyn Correctional Institute 3 days when this conversation took place.

I wanted to talk to Brock to get an idea what it is like being locked up and in close quarters with other inmates after learning about COVID-19.

A lot of people are having a hard time feeding the body what it needs to stay healthy and obesity is a huge problem.

My name is Kelly Gruber, the outpatient dietitian at Yale New Haven Health-Bridgeport Hospital. 

She is here to brush us up on what nutrition is and how to use key food groups to stay healthy.