We Have a Miner Problem

All nine miners were adults — no minors. All were at least 23 years old.

Or were they?

After informing us that the “mine nine” ranged in age from 23 to 58, the writer quotes Santiago Tapia, the youngest miner at … 21? One need not go digging below the surface to know that Tapia is out of range. Either he is at least 23 “ore” the range is 21 to 58.

After perusing this Peruvian tale, I’ve got to ask an age-old question: Ironic, isn’t it, that the word recount was used in the headline? A recount of sorts is needed in the body of the article. Only in a dictionary — or perhaps a Major League Baseball lineup — should 21 come between 23 and 58.

Based on the age discrepancy, I assume the writer did not minor in math. A minor in journalism is also questionable. When determining the age of subjects in an article about a cave-in, a journalism student treats the findings as more than “miner” details.

I’m a veritable mine of groan-inducing puns, and I could go on for … wait for it … ages.