Bernie Madoff

Since the $50 billion Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff has been sentenced to 150 years of jail time, he certainly has a lot of time on his hands. In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Madoff shared with them what his life is like now. Antidepressants help to keep him going, and he manages the prison store, which he calls the “money management department." More surprisingly, Madoff admitted to reading romance novels. The FT says:

“I spend most of my time in my room, reading,” he adds. “And — this is my secret — Danielle Steel.” We all laugh. “Yes, Danielle Steel.”

For the first time during the two hours Madoff looks truly embarrassed, even ashamed. Perhaps escape into fantasy – even of the trashy, romantic variety – is simply the most logical outcome for a man in his position.

Also on his to-do list: business schools have asked him to teach a course on ethics, and among his top picks are Harvard and Northwestern. What do you think of Madoff's life after crime — does it sound like the punishment is too harsh or does he deserve worse?

• Bobby Flay may be the world's worst horse race caller. — Grub Street
• Find out where Bernie Madoff used to eat. — Eater
• Got old school photos of your parents partying? Send them here. — Keggers of Yore
• The nation's top 10 food trucks. — GQ
• Must make: caramelized onion, potato, and blue cheese tart. — Serious Eats
• Ten ways to barter for food. — Chow
• Meet Rani Cheema, the lady who makes the Food Network's fake food labels. — Sunny Anderson
• The latest trend to hit the beverage scene? Bartenders who farm. — Gourmet
• Learn how to turn chicken McNuggets into chicken McConfit. — The Feedbag

• A federal judge has given Bernie Madoff the maximum prison sentence of 150 years for his Ponzi scheme, following his apology and victims' requests for a life sentence. — CNN
• Grim information from Michael Jackson's autopsy report has leaked. — The Sun
• However, TMZ is reporting that the leaked report may actually be a fake. — TMZ
• Transformers swept the box office this weekend, bringing in $201.2 million domestically. — BuzzSugar
• Iranian authorities have recounted 10 percent of the votes in the disputed presidential election, but the opposition movement has refused to participate in the "ploy." — LA Times
• Today, the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of white firefighters who claimed reverse discrimination, overturning a lower court decision that nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge. — New York Times