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You know us. We go behind you in the grocery store, restoring order to the fruit pyramid. We squirt sanitizer into grubby hands before they dig into the bag of fast food. We floss between meals. You have names for us. “Type A,” “micromanagers” and “control freaks.” Well, sticks and stones, baby, those names can’t hurt us. We know who we are, and there’s nothing we like better than tidy little labels. But when we’re not driving you nuts, did you ever stop to think how helpful or altruistic our compulsions could be? Whether it’s a summer job or a lifelong career, there are plenty of ways our “controlling” tendencies contribute to the common good.

Take a look at this list of ideal jobs for control freaks. (I use the word, freaks, in the most complimentary sense. We’re nothing if not enthusiastic about our aversion to chaos.) If you’re a control freak, see if these jobs are a good fit for you. Extra points go to those jobs with the word control baked into the title.

It’s been three years since the recession ended, and many people are still feeling the effects of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. The unemployment rate for May 2012 stood at 8.2 percent, and analysts say that figure understates the problem, as it doesn’t include people who have given up looking for work; they believe the “real” unemployment mark is somewhere around 14 percent. On the other hand, there are a number of areas around the U.S. that are prospering, with unemployment rates in the low single digits. Here’s a look at the 10 U.S. metropolitan areas with the lowest unemployment rates as of May 2012.

Science fiction is the modern mythology of our era. And along with documenting our hopes and dreams, science fiction also captures our fears of the future. At best, these nightmarish visions may serve as a warning of a worst-case scenario, a dystopian future world where our ambitions outstrip the cautions unheeded. From a shiny, antiseptic future free of care to a brutal Big Brother techno-totalitarian state or a collapse into a new Dark Age, the eventual reality probably lies somewhere in between. What would a citizen from 100 years ago think of modern society? Would they be amazed by our conquest of many diseases and our comfortable lifestyle, or be alarmed at our modern views on liberty and freedom? Here are 10 modern films, some classic, some relatively unknown, that depict the warnings of dystopian futures.

Not so many years ago, the thought of a bakery solely dedicated to doggie delicacies and treats would have seemed ridiculous to most people. Well, that sort of pooch pampering is considered almost normal these days, but there are several relatively new trends in the veterinary world that are raising eyebrows. Welcome to the next generation of pampered pets. The following procedures will take a bigger bite out of your wallet than Fido’s baked goods, with some running more than $100,000. In the process, some family and friends just might question if you’ve gone crazy over Rover.

Have you ever committed genericide? Or been guilty of using a mondegreen? You almost certainly have, on both counts, possibly daily, even if you didn’t realize it at the time. As in many other professions, linguists have a number of extremely obscure terms they apply to everyday situations. Here are five bizarre linguistic terms that describe fairly common occurrences. Who knew there were words to describe these situations?

If one didn't know any better, it could easily be assumed that virtually every one of the most financially successful movies of all time has been released within the past 10 years or so. Actually, not a single one of them has. Hollywood studios have long had a tradition of announcing their films' box-office figures without adjusting them for inflation, simply because it makes the movies appear to be bigger hits than they really are. And the entertainment media have repeated the practice, simply because they're lazy. Here are history's real top 10 movies (domestic grosses), with ever-rising ticket prices taken into account.

In the face of skyrocketing college tuitions and a weak economy, some U.S. educators are questioning whether it makes sense to continue steering the majority of high school students toward a four-year college. Some educators say yes, while others point to the fact that there are plenty of recent college graduates — some with mortgage-sized student debt loads — who have no job prospects. Studies have shown that, on average, someone with a bachelor’s degree will have around $1 million more in lifetime earnings than a high school graduate. But there are exceptions to the rule, and while some in the academic world dismiss blue-collar and technical trades as less prestigious than white-collar work, there are many blue-collar jobs that pay quite well. Here’s a list of some of the highest paying blue-collar jobs in the U.S., with median salary information as of 2010 from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

No single factor drives the world economy like the price of oil and gasoline. Because oil is also involved in the transportation of goods, people and services, the fluctuations of the market trickle down to nearly every business sector, whether it’s food production, mining, or even travel and leisure. The majority of us “feel the pinch” the most at the pump, and during an election year, much debate swirls around gasoline prices. But what factors make up the price you pay at the pump?

Almost every time we get on an interstate highway or major road, we see the most visible cogs in the U.S. distribution system — tractor-trailer trucks. And anyone who’s ever been stuck for several minutes waiting for a long freight train to pass can appreciate how much freight moves on U.S. railroads. But most Americans would be astounded at the amount of freight that moves through a few dozen ports along the East and West coasts and some of the country’s major waterways. The numbers are staggering: the equivalent of 28.74 million containers measuring 20 feet long by 8 feet wide by 8.5 feet high passed through the 30 busiest U.S. ports in 2009 (the latest year for which statistics are available). If those containers were stacked end to end, they’d stretch some 111,000 miles, nearly half the distance to the moon. Here’s a look at the 10 busiest U.S. ports based on container traffic, according to the 2012 Statistical Abstract of the United States.

Ah, the joys of a presidential election year. We’re inundated by labels and buzzwords meant to rally a political base by inciting hatred or reinforcing a negative stereotype about other groups. Politicians and pundits wield these stereotypes like verbal bullets, and while they are often blamed for perpetuating these images, it could be said that they are merely reflecting what is already ingrained in our national consciousness and culture. Here are 10 political stereotypes that American politicians have exploited in recent years.