As Ray Holmberg watched what should have been a joyous senior year of graduation celebrations, end-of-school parties and good times with his friends devolve into a season of isolation and disappointment because of the coronavirus pandemic, he and his younger brother, Paul, hunkered down in their home studio and expressed their frustrations in the most positive way they knew how: by making music together. The San Anselmo brothers — Ray on guitar and vocals, and Paul on drums — have just released “When This Ends,” an original song that eschews teenage angst in favor of a buoyant pop tune and a cleverly comic music video that comments on the stresses of quarantine on young people. Not to sound like a teeny-bopper fan, but it’s about the cutest thing I’ve seen about a serious subject. And we c

Professor John Edmunds says the Government’s new travel restrictions may not help to keep the new strain out (Picture: POOL/AFP via Getty Images/EPA/Reuters)An expert has claimed the ‘super Brazilian Covid strain’ is likely already inside the country, as Boris Johnson is urged to increase his 15 million mid-February vaccine target. The UK has recorded 11 cases of a Brazilian coronavirus strain and at least 35 cases of a highly transmissible South African variant – but scientists have found no trace of a ‘concerning’ second Brazilian strain. However, epidemiologist Professor John Edmunds says new travel restrictions may not help to keep the variant out as it is probably already inside the country. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘In terms of the South African one, we had imp

Pasta salad is an American invention. Vinaigrette coated pasta paired with ingredients such as salami, mozzarella and olives, can be a one-bowl meal or a tasty side dish. America’s Test Kitchen’s version calls for cooking the corkscrew-shaped fusilli pasta until it is a little too soft, reasoning that as it cools it will firm up a little and take on a just-right texture. The salad can be prepared up to three days in advance and stored in the fridge. If making it in advance, add the baby arugula and chopped fresh basil just before serving. Fusilli Pasta Salad Yield: 8 to 10 servings as a side dish INGREDIENTS 1 pound dried fusilli pasta Salt 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 garlic cloves, minced 3 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, minced 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes 1 cup pepper...

Much is still unknown about HBO’s upcoming adaptation of the popular video game “The Last of Us,” including who is set to star and when it will actually be arriving on the network, but steady progress is being made toward answering those questions. The latest piece to fall into place is setting a director for the much-anticipated pilot. Kantemir Balagov, helmer of last year’s historical drama “Beanpole,” has been tapped to direct the series. He’ll join screenwriter Craig Mazin, of “Chernobyl” fame, and executive producer Neil Druckmann. The series will be a co-production with Sony Pictures Television. PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and game developer Naughty Dog. Carolyn Strauss, Naughty Dog’s Evan Wells, and Playstation Productions’ Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan w

Marci Rasmussen, owner of Especially For You Your Downtown Florist, works on a floral arrangement at her shop in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. Rasmussen applied for Paycheck Protection Program funding during the first round of stimulus last year to keep her business afloat and will also apply for the latest round of funding. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News SALT LAKE CITY — Last year, when the COVID-19 outbreak initially struck, Marci Rasmussen’s downtown floral shop was one those businesses that felt the direct impact. “I immediately laid everybody off,” she said. That meant all but one of her 15 employees. Surviving the coronavirus pandemic as a small business has been particularly challenging. For those that were able to make it, that survival didn’t come without a lot of a

By The Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil hasn’t approved a vaccine yet, and independent health experts who participated in its immunization program say the plan is still incomplete. Members of the expert committee and former health officials interviewed by The Associated Press condemned the government’s unjustifiable delay in formulating a vaccination effort, in seeking syringe suppliers and months spent rejecting all but one possible vaccine manufacturer. They also say President Jair Bolsonaro undermined the ministry’s effectiveness, pointing to the removal of highly trained professionals from leadership positions, replaced by military appointees with little or no public health care experience. Bolsonaro, who said he had the coronavirus last year, has downplayed the need for face m