The NY Times maintains an updated summary of the bailout since last September. You might want to print this out and keep it in your pocket or purse for those summer barbeque discussions with friends and family about who did what and when.

Bernanke is the Fed chief who took over from Alan Greenspan.
Bernie is Bernie Madoff who ripped off people for what may be over $50B. They sound alike so don’t get them confused or you might lose face in front of your brother-in-law.

Paulson is the former Treasury Secretary. He looks like the guy on WWF’s Smack Down in 2002 but that isn’t him although Hank Paulson was an All-American football player. Casually inform your brother-in-law that Paulson was an assistant to Ehrlichman during the Watergate scandal. That will shut him up.