MacLaren forced to say sorry over leak accusations

EDUCATION leader Marilyne MacLaren is set to be ordered to apologise to a parent representative she accused of leaking information to the press.

Education of children in care boosted

A PACKAGE of measures designed to help the education of the 14, 000 children in care in Scotland was announced by the Scottish Government this week.

Vanderbilt researchers seek to make standardized tests accessible

(Vanderbilt University) Standardized testing is an inescapable part of modern education; however, these tests often fail to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities. Vanderbilt University Learning Sciences Institute researchers Stephen N. Elliott, Peter A. Beddow and Ryan J. Kettler have developed a decision-making instrument called the Test Accessibility and Modification Inventory to address the issue of accessibility for students with special needs.

LSUHSC awarded grant to address nursing shortage

(Louisiana State University Health Science Center) LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Nursing has been awarded a $100, 000 grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to provide scholarships to individuals under-represented in nursing or from disadvantaged backgrounds in an accelerated nursing degree program. The funding will support ten scholarships in LSUHSC's Career Alternative RN Education, or CARE, Program, expanding enrollment and the number of fully qualified nurses prepared to practice.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Film News: Design creatures worthy of its bigger budget -- Having won an Oscar for their work on "Pan's Labyrinth, " professional partners David Marti and Montse Ribe had more time and money for "Hellboy II." They also had more collaborators and less work to do.

Frost/ Nixon

Film News: Persuade Langella to use wig and makeup -- "Finding a happy middle ground was probably one of the most difficult things, " says star Frank Langella's makeup artist, David Anderson.

The Duchess

Film News: Be faithful to an 18th-century fashion icon -- Regency aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish, subject of Saul Dibb's period drama "The Duchess, " is widely recognized as one of the first true influencers of fashion, her giant plumed wigs and sprayed-on gowns sparking copycat trends across 18th-century Britain.

Defiance

Film News: Find the right forest for its trees -- In "Defiance, " the Bielski brothers fight the Nazis from the Belarusian forests. Helmer Edward Zwick wanted the forest to be a central character in the film, since it's of paramount importance to the survival of the resistance fighters.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Film News: Blur the line between practical makeup and CGI -- To present Brad Pitt as a 6-year-old pipsqueak with the wrinkled skin of a septuagenarian, age makeups creator Greg Cannom and his team sculpted a series of head casts from young to old, which were then scanned for digital rendering.

Cloverfield

Film News: Simulate mass destruction on an intimate scale -- "Cloverfield" updated the monster movie with CG effects and a DIY sensibility, but when production designer Martin Whist had to design a destroyed apartment for a climactic scene, he found no substitute for old-fashioned demolition.

Changeling

Film News: Dress Jolie without sacrificing historical accuracy -- Working on roughly 3, 000 background costumes for "Changeling, " costume designer Deborah Hopper relied on historical photographs and a strong network of costume houses and vintage stores to provide her with suitable raiments.

Local pros reduce real-life risks

Film News: Problematic locations confront foreign filmmakers -- As filmmakers embrace compelling, globally themed stories, productions must penetrate parts of the world where "film friendly" is a novel concept.

Films merge old hammers, new pixels

Film News: Art directors collaborate with vfx supervisors -- Ten years ago, digital visual effects meant that a film could have an imaginary but almost realistic-looking creature dancing down the middle of the street. Today, the street itself may very well be computer-generated and nobody would know the difference.

Hollywood swag on the decline

Film News: Golden Globes to host a lighter gift of grab -- The economy is a real drag on swag. It's definitely the time of year for freebies, with at least six Golden Globes gifting suites scheduled over the weekend.