Stupid Typo Watch: Howlers Courtesy of the SEC

The Securities and Exchange Commission has a wonderful tool that allows people to search the text of documents filed by public companies.

It’s great for business reporters looking for files containing certain topics. But it’s even better for people with a juvenile, bathroom sense of humor—yours truly, for example.

Yes, for those few who remember, this topic has been covered in this newsletter before—in 2006. And yes, it’s nothing more than an exercise in stupid potty humor.

And, of course, what potty humor article would be complete without the obligatory warning.

Warning: this article contains references that some will find offensive, not funny and/or just plain stupid—you know, the kind of references that HR comes up with seventh-grade health-class-type training videos to help employees avoid.

But hey, at least it’s an article in a business publication that doesn’t begin by saying how shitty the economy is. Boy, the language went south quickly in this one, didn’t it?

And speaking of shit, let’s do a search on SEC.com to see who has some in their documents.

Typing in “shit” on the SEC Web site brings back 24 results.

For example, in explaining some of the risks to its business, CHDT Corp. stated: “While dramatic anti-trade shit in Chinese policy or laws would seem to be clearly against the best interests of China and its current economic trends, China has a central government with the authority to make such changes.”

Don’t you just hate it when China puts dramatic anti-trade shit in its policies?

In describing how it will proceed with a mining operation, Pacific Copper Corp. stated: “Work will proceed with the two shits working 12 hours (TWELVE HOURS) per shift, 7 (SEVEN) days per week, or as near to this schedule as can be maintained.”

Man, I wouldn’t want to be one of Pacific Copper’s two shits. Wonder what they did?

And, of course, what potty-humor typo search would be complete without searching under the word “pubic?”

And, indeed, the word brings back thousands of results: 3717 to be exact.

Let’s avoid the easy-target typos that we can safely assume will be in SEC documents like “initial pubic offering,” “certified pubic accountant” and “pubic company,” shall we?

In its latest 10K filing, container manufacturer BWAY Corp. stated that “in July 2008, the Rhode Island Supreme Court unanimously overturned a landmark 2006 verdict against three former manufacturers of lead paint that held them liable for creating a pubic nuisance.”

Ouch. A pubic nuisance. Don’t they make special shampoo for that?

In a recent prospectus, Medical Solutions Management explained that certain “reports, proxy statements and other documents may be inspected and copied at the pubic reference facilities maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549.”

The SEC maintains pubic reference facilities? Who knew? Man, public companies must document everything, no?

And according to a recent conference-call transcript, an officer at Voyager Learning Co. recently said: “Turning to education trends outside of funding, we still believe that accountability in pubic schools is here to stay, which is obviously good for us in the long-term.”

Teenagers. They can be so moody. Good thing accountability in pubic schools is here to stay.

Whenever I see a typo in Magilla Marketing, I always take comfort in the fact that the only times the words shit and pubic have appeared in this newsletter have been on purpose—so far, at least.