DataPoints

Am I the only one who sees at least symmetry, if not justice, in Bernie Madoff's prison sentence?

At his age, after all, 150 years is an entirely symbolic number—chosen not because it represents any quantitative reality, but rather to induce warm feelings of statisfaction among Madoff's former investors and the general public.

Just like the numbers on the returns Bernie claimed all those years he was in business.

We have consensus: The lift from Washington's fiscal stimulus booster should be felt very soon now. From today's Financial Times:

The US economy will feel a substantial boost from the Obama administration’s emergency spending package over the next few months, says Christina Romer, a senior White House official, who has warned against tightening monetary and fiscal policy before recovery is well established.

And from last week's Dismal Scientist:

The moment of truth is at hand for the U.S. fiscal stimulus plan. The stimulus that became law in February should reach its point of maximum economic benefit this summer. If the plan is working, retailing will improve soon, and businesses should respond by curtailing layoffs measurably. Early results suggest the stimulus is performing close to expectations, but policymakers should be prepared to provide more help to the economy if things don't work as expected in coming months.

Why is Australia's economy leading the OECD nations? Our Matt Robinson explains it to Radio Australia:

How do you organize a meltdown? The New York Fed tries to lay out the events of the past couple years in an interactive timeline, suitable for framing on your wall.

If you're more into tables, we've got our own versions on Dismal Scientist: the Global Crisis Response Monitor shows who's spending what to combat the worldwide financial crisis, while the U.S. Crisis Response page parses actions of the Fed and Treasury.

Who says data geeks don't know how to have fun? It's the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 125th birthday (word geeks would ask what's halfway between a centennial and a sesquicentennial, but we're talkin' numbers here, baby) and the BLS is throwing itself a party. Charts and charts and charts; also nice explanations of what exactly they do at the BLS and why you should care.