Vincent Feli Boy’s Blog

The FBI has raided the office of U.S. Special Counsel Scott Bloch in an inquiry of whether he obstructed justice by having his computer files erased. FBI officials said computers and documents were seized from Bloch’s office during the raid Tuesday morning. Investigators say Bloch is suspected of hiring an outside company to scrub his computer amid a federal investigation of alleged misconduct in his office.

The inquiry has been under way for more than a year and is looking into charges of intimidation and retaliation against whistle-blowers among staff members working in Bloch’s agency. The Office of Special Counsel is responsible protecting the rights of federal workers and ensuring that government whistle-blowers are not subjected to reprisals.

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May 6, 2008 — HERE’S one for the books: Dina Lohan is being honored as a great mother. Right now, Dina’s daughter, Lindsay, is literally a poster girl for bad behavior. Her mug shot appears in liquor-industry ads as an example of a “hard-core drunk driver” who needs a Breathalyzer to stay off the road (even though the ads are against having the devices in every car).

Yet, Dina will be named a “Top Mom” tonight by a Long Island-based charity, Mingling Moms Organization, even though Lindsay went to rehab three times last year and was jailed for drunken driving and cocaine possession. Mingling Moms president Erica Logiudice called Dina “such a dedicated mom. Through all the ups and downs of Lindsay, she has been by her side.

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It will be hard to make “Cranford” sound like anything but a nice little PBS tea cozy. This new three-parter from “Masterpiece” has all the ingredients of a stereotypical bonnet ‘n’ bustle melodrama, from its portrayal of 19th-century small-town proprieties to its cast of older, formidable British actresses who all seem typecast to play “the chaperone.” Based on three works by Victorian novelist Elizabeth Gaskell, and woven with comic quirkiness and lace, “Cranford” would seem to be claustrophobically quaint. Except that underneath all the country innocence and maidenly primness, “Cranford” is a deeply felt, wise, and sometimes grim look at pre-industrial life.

There’s nothing frivolous or twee about this extraordinary five-hour miniseries, which premieres tomorrow at 9 p.m. Major characters die, hearts are quite broken, and self-sacrifice goes unrewarded. With the help of a massively talented cast of Brits led by the power trio of Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, and Eileen Atkins, “Cranford” portrays both the beauties and the horrible injustices of a small rural community. While the miniseries is certainly filled with the romantic intrigues identified with Jane Austen, it also rests atop a Dickensian sense of socioeconomic tragedy, including a father of six who has been wrongly imprisoned.

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