Ken can survive 2 weeks w/out food & water. Their government is still saying prepare for 3 days.

Looks like Ken and his mates may be in better shape than the rest of us...

R.

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New Zealand cockroach carries millennium bug warnings 10.40 a.m. ET (1441 GMT) July 21, 1999

By Ray Lilley, Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  Regarded worldwide as a dirty pest, the cockroach has become the official "millennium bug'' for New Zealand, which will be among the first nations to experience the real effects of Y2K.

"Ken'' the cockroach was unveiled Wednesday as the spearhead for a government-funded campaign to infest New Zealand households with a "be prepared'' message.

The Y2K, or millennium, bug refers to fears that older computer programs that count years by the last two digits may mistake 2000 for 1900, wreaking havoc on everything from airlines to bank teller machines that run on computers.

While governments and corporations across the world have spent billions of dollars trying to avoid problems, no one really knows what will happen.

New Zealand is just 185 miles west of the International Dateline at its closest point. It will be among the first nations to greet the first day of the year 2000 and may give hours' warning to other parts of the world as to what the real effects of Y2K will be.

Ken will feature in television ads and other promotional material in a $1.3 million campaign run by the Y2K Readiness Commission.

A cockroach was chosen as mascot because the bugs were "the ultimate survivors,'' chairman Basil Logan said.

"Love them or hate them, I think he (Ken the cockroach) will be noticed and memorable,'' Logan said.

Publicity material announcing the campaign boasts the adaptability of the insect, which can live without water for two weeks, without food for a week, and may be the only thing left alive if a nuclear disaster occurs.

As well as living at both the North and South Poles and even as low as 2,200 feet underground, one of "Ken's'' relatives was found on the Apollo 11 command shuttle, suggesting it had survived a space flight.

Cockroaches have existed for 340 million years  150 million years longer than dinosaurs  and come in some 5,000 species.

The commission's serious message is that New Zealanders should prepare for three days of possible millennium bug disruption any time between Dec. 31, 1999, and March 31, 2000.

Logan said households should prepare emergency supply kits that include fresh water, food, flashlights and a battery-powered radio.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), July 21, 1999

Answers

uh, and any similarities to a "Ken" on this forum is purely coincidental.... :)

-- a (a@a.a), July 21, 1999.

Ya beat me to it, a! Even the initials fit -- KC!

-- OutingsR (us@here.yar), July 21, 1999.

Does anybody know just how many new little bugs a Y2K cockroach can create in a year? Hmmmmm

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), July 21, 1999.

The above article quoted:

"A cockroach was chosen as mascot because the bugs were "the ultimate survivors,'' chairman Basil Logan said. "

Mr. Logan may be more correct in this analogy than he realizes....

-- Arnie Rimmer (Arnie_Rimmer@usa.net), July 22, 1999.