Word: kira
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...wife, German Princess Regina, have seven heirs. Also throneless as a result of World War I is Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, 68, grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm II. He has a doctorate in philosophy and occupies himself with administering the family fortunes. His late wife, the Grand Duchess Kira, was the sister of Vladimir; he has seven children and lives near Bremen...
Wider Seat. Kira concludes from continuing research that the standard toilet is "the most ill-suited fixture ever designed," whether for comfort or efficient elimination. The whatchamacallit should be from 5 in. to 9 in. lower and shaped so that the occupant could take the natural squatting position of primitive man; it should also have a wider padded seat and incorporate two water jets for cleansing. Many washbasins, he finds, are built "so low as to be ideal only for small children." He proposes a contoured bowl, 36 in. high, deep at one end, wide and shallow at the other...
...most frustrating fixture of all, in Kira's view, is the tub-shower. "The only substantive reason for taking a tub bath is to relax," he maintains, "and yet it is precisely this that the vast majority of tubs have not permitted the user to do." The tub should be longer (6 ft., v. the standard 5 ft.) and wider, have a contoured back to fit the curvature of the spine, a comfortable place to sit while foot washing and shampooing, and a hand spray for rinsing. Showers should be larger, have continuous wrap-around grab-bars and different...
...have such minimal, dismal bathrooms? Mainly, Kira contends, because we "have allowed our taboos and guilts to interfere with the fullest development and realization of our physical and mental well-being." Builders, eager to skimp on space, seldom conceive of the bathroom as an integrated system like the modern kitchen...
Shower Machine. As Americans have become increasingly frank about sex, Kira believes, they are also becoming more candid about the once unmentionable functions of the bathroom. "Whereas the '50s and the '60s were the era of the kitchen and the family room," he predicts, "the '70s will be the era of the bathroom and body care." The Japanese, who have always had a highly civilized attitude toward hygiene, already have a design for the ultimate shower machine: the bather selects the desired water temperature and soap, pushes a button and is then soaked, washed with suds produced...