A notable topic in many meetings around here lately is our friend aluminum. I’ll explain why another time.

For now, I just want to note that it wasn’t all that long ago that I found out that most of the world outside of the U.S. spells and says aluminium ( the extra letter “I” makes it al-yoo-MIN-ee-um). It never fails to amuse me.

“You’re saying it wrong!”

“No, YOU’RE saying it wrong!”

Terms matter when offering products to particular audiences. It was a pretty big deal around here years ago when we switched from saying “sheets” to “pads” when referring to pieces of Mat in stacks (ahem, bales) like you see below, because we learned that “pads” made more sense to more customers for these products.

For the same reason, there was a point when we switched from “wipes” to “wipers” when referring to these thingies:

But recently when I mentioned to a friend outside of work that we sell Wipers, he was momentarily confused because he thought I meant these.

Ah, fun with words …

That arresting sound you heard last weekend wasn’t a vuvulela at the World Cup.

It was Noël Jamet of Normandy winning the annual Pig Squeal Contest in Milzac, France, for the third year in a row.

Gotta love that costume—oops, uniform? And that conqueror’s passion! Ooh la la.

He’s been training to dominate these contests for seven years. Let’s hope for his neighbors’ sake that his championship facility is lined with these.

If not, the neighbors must be equipped with these or these or these or … well, you get the idea.

As awful as the Gulf Spill is, I just read an article that’s a good reminder of everyday ways that oil and gas reach the oceans in even greater amounts than the current disaster involves. The figures are stunning:

• Estimates of the Gulf Spill: 83 – 156 million gallons
• Estimated annual amount spilled worldwide from routine causes: 400 million gallons
• Estimated annual amount entering the ocean from natural seepage: 180 million gallons

The article mentions that routine discharges behind these estimates include oil drips from vehicles, gasoline spills at gas stations, recreational boating, commercial ships and tankers, and oil production.

For decades, we at New Pig have been helping workplaces control oil and other liquids that leak, drip, spill or spray — not only to keep floors safer but to keep liquids from reaching drains that may eventually flow to the seas.

Catch those pump drips …

Capture that overspray …

Block that drain …

… and the oceans will be cleaner for it.

One of the wacky gals here in the office (she won’t let me give her name) combined two ideas and came up with …

Form-A-Funnel® cake

That right there is hilarious.

If you don’t know what funnel cake is, you haven’t lived, and you need to click here. It looks like this:

Mmmm. You need some now.

It’s found at fairs, carnivals and street fairs in discerning parts of the country. It’s made like this: (see the funnel???)

Find it. Get on a plane if you have to. Summer’s almost over.

I’m not proposing that anyone drain batter through a PIG® Form-A-Funnel® Flexible Draining Tool into bubbling grease. I can see issues with that. Save it for oil changes and other work in the shop.

But someone with some flair and cooking skills has to do something to make that phrase—Form-A-Funnel® cake!—come to life. It’s just too funny not to.

Is it just me?

*

Speaking of bubbling grease and fine dining reminds me to remind you that there are PIG® products that help make commercial kitchens safer and more productive. Fry ‘em—er, try ‘em, you’ll like ‘em.

Just about a year ago, I blogged about our winning the “Academy Award of Cataloging” in our category for the eighth time in a row.

Well, make that nine years in a row. We won again. The official name of the honor is: Gold Award, Industrial Supplies, 25th Annual Multichannel Merchant Awards. Here’s the cover of our winning catalog (which you can browse in its entirety online) :

And just for the sake of accuracy, I failed to mention last year that we had an earlier stretch of winning the award five years in a row.

Yes, we’re grateful for the recognition, but only because of what it reflects about New Pig as a whole: We reach for the highest in our work, which is helping solve leak and spill problems. This means product development, accounting, fulfillment, information technology—every area. We strive to serve our customers as well as any company on the planet. If that means having to find space for awards for catalogs that are judged to be informative, well-organized and maybe even stylish—then we’ll find the room!

P.S. If you want to see what the pig on the cover is using as a hiding place, click here.

Breaking news from the New Pig Absorbatory!

Look at (and listen to) what our intrepid product developers discovered while working on a new way to package PIG BLUE® Absorbent Mat!

This was by accident, not design. Yes, pure sow-rendipity!

That’s the Roll form. Will we coax a GRUNT from PIG BLUE® Absorbent Pads? Stay tuned!

I was in Texas recently (see my hat?) and what did I come across but our Drain ‘N Contain® Oil Recovery Pan!

Give me a three-letter word for what it was there to catch.

The answer is NOT o-i-l. That’s a real live longhorn next to me!

Sheep pigs are in the news this week (see them in the picture below), and people have been asking me whether I’m related to any of these odd beasts.

And I reply, “When you look at a sheep pig, you might think ‘Is it a sheep or is it a pig?’ But look at this PIG® Form-A-Funnel® Flexible Draining Tool …

Is it a funnel?

Or is it a tray?”

And they get caught up in the no-mess-oil-draining-plus wonder that is Form-A-Funnel® and all thoughts of sheep pigs evaporate.

Usually.

Sometimes, the person persists: “So really, are you related to any sheep pigs?”

Then I look the person right in the eye and say: “Yes, in fact, my extended family does include sheep pigs.”

Then I add: “Now let’s talk about YOUR rare and special relatives. Do any of them look like this?” And I show the picture below.

New Pig did a good thing this week, if I do say so myself, in giving away 35 pallets of our wipers to be used in Red Cross cleanup kits.

If a flood or other emergency has to befall you before you to get to use these particular wipers—then I hope you never get to use them!

Just a quick follow-up to my last post about showing our foodservice products at the Nightclub & Bar Convention & Trade Show in Las Vegas. We got a lot of inquires despite being in the neighborhood of some other very interesting booths.

Over there: Free cigarette samples!

Over there: Energy drink suppliers with a waterslide and bikini models that were … wait for it … energetic!

And over there: Pole dancing supplies and, yes, demonstrations!

You want pole dancing? Here’s pole dancing for you:

Get our Telescoping Pole and try it yourself!