IRVINE, CA--(Marketwired - Sep 30, 2014) - Outstanding kitchen design, culinary inspiration and celebration were on the menu last night as Thermador -- the American luxury kitchen appliance brand that offers real innovations for real cooks -- unveiled the grand prize winners of its Kitchen Design Challenge: Justin Woodward of Craftsman Kitchens, Peter Cardamone & Lynne Kaltman of Bluebell Kitchens and Linda McLain and Lindsay Hulsey of Signature Kitchens & Baths of Charleston, Inc. The announcement took place during a gala event on September 29 in Southern California that celebrated the competition's distinguished entrants.

"The winners of our Thermador Kitchen Design Challenge are some of the most talented kitchen design professionals in the business," said Zach Elkin, director, brand marketing of Thermador. "These designers know what culinary enthusiasts want in the heart of their homes, and with their talent and expertise have created magnificent kitchens that beautifully showcase the capabilities and innovation of Thermador in the American luxury kitchen."

The tremendously talented national winners, along with two national runner-ups, were selected from a pool of 16 regional finalists who demonstrated unsurpassed creativity in designing a luxury kitchen for their clients. The finalists received an all-expenses-paid trip for two to Southern California to enjoy the exclusive gala event celebrating their stunning and inspiring Thermador kitchen designs, along with $2,500, and the national winners and runner-ups also received part of a $60,000 prize purse. In total, more than $100,000 in cash prizes was awarded over the course of this prestigious national kitchen design competition.

The three national grand prize winners were selected in the following categories: Best Traditional/Transitional Thermador kitchen design, Best Contemporary/Modern Thermador kitchen design and Best Use of Thermador Refrigeration in a kitchen design.

Thermador Kitchen Design Challenge Grand Prize Winners:

Thermador Kitchen Design Challenge Runner-Up Winners:

The Thermador Kitchen Design Challenge invited professional kitchen designers, builders and architects to enter their most impressive kitchens designed with Thermador appliances, and was open for entries from February 2013 through March 2014.

The full list of winners can be viewed here: http://www.thermador.com/trade/kitchen-design-challenge

About ThermadorThermador has been providing real innovations for real cooks for nearly 100 years. The iconic line of cooking, cleaning, refrigeration and ventilation products remains committed to empowering culinary enthusiasts to be their best through continuous innovation breakthroughs -- from the world's first wall ovens and gas cooktops with the patented Star® Burner to the Freedom® Induction Cooktop, the first full-surface induction appliance, and the Freedom® Collection, the first modular built-in fresh food, freezer and wine preservation columns.

Thermador is part of BSH Home Appliances Corporation, a fully-owned subsidiary of Bosch and Siemens Home Appliance Group, the third largest appliance manufacturer in the world. For more information, visit www.thermador.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter at www.facebook.com/thermador and @Thermador, respectively. For Thermador customer service, call 1-800-735-4328.

Follow Thermador: Twitter @Thermador Facebook www.facebook.com/thermador Blog www.thermador.com/blog

Press Room: www.thermador.com/about/press-room

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Media Contact:Debbie Ehrman(310) 552-4109deborah@finnpartners.com

PR Newswire

DENVER, July 31, 2014

DENVER, July 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Swisslog Healthcare Solutions, a leading supplier of automation and software solutions for material transport and medication management, today announced the release of its new white paper, "Managing Technological Change in Your Pharmacy" to guide hospitals in optimizing the value of process automation while minimizing the pain of change. The top hospitals in the United States have a shared focus on the latest medical technology advancements, in particular solutions for process automation and optimizing operational efficiencies. Swisslog healthcare automation plays a significant role in this growing trend.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140730/131916

"At the heart of automation solutions is the goal of enabling healthcare professionals to safely serve their patients while reducing the cost of care," explains Joni Kripal, vice president of innovation and solutions at Swisslog Healthcare Solutions. "Automation can dramatically reduce non-value added tasks allowing more quality time at the bedside positively influencing both patient and caregiver satisfaction."

Hospital automation has multiple applications throughout healthcare systems. From material transport to medication management, automation promotes process improvements aimed at increased efficiency and enhanced patient experiences. To support implementation of pharmacy automation, Swisslog developed a change management white paper, which offers strategies for effectively managing technological change in a pharmacy. The white paper can be downloaded at swisslog.com/swissloghospital.

Swisslog has installed automation solutions in all of the top 2014 US Hospitals (as ranked by US News and World Report). These installations are improving workflows across multiple departments within hospitals, such as:

"As hospitals continue to feel pressure to reduce costs, the demand for accountability and efficiency will only increase," explains Kripal. "Hospital automation solutions help achieve these goals, while maintaining a high standard of patient care." These solutions are accessible to hospitals of all sizes and can be customized based on preferred workflows.

Swisslog Healthcare Solutions is the leading supplier of automation and software solutions for material transport and medication management in healthcare facilities. Swisslog has installed facility-wide and pharmacy automation systems in more than 3,000 hospitals worldwide, including more than 2,000 in North America. Denver-based Swisslog Healthcare Solutions offers total system design, manufacturing, installation and customer support – providing an integrated solution for lean workflow and operations that enhances information access, patient safety and cost efficiency. For more information, visit www.swisslog.com/healthcare.

About Swisslog Swisslog designs, develops and delivers efficient automation solutions for forward-thinking hospitals, warehouses and distribution centers. We offer integrated systems and services from a single source – from consulting services to design, implementation and lifetime customer service.

Headquartered in Buchs/Aarau, Switzerland, Swisslog has 2,200 employees in 20 countries worldwide, supporting customers in more than 50 countries. The group's parent company, Swisslog Holding Ltd, is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (security number: 1232462, Telekurs: SLOG, Reuters: SLOG.S). More information on swisslog.com/healthcare.

Editorial Contact:

Beth RiggioMarketing Manager Swisslog Healthcare Solutions Phone: 303.373.7952 Email

SOURCE Swisslog Healthcare Solutions

She says she has reason to be afraid. Last year, 13 women in Turkey were murdered by their partners whilst nominally under state protection, according to official figures.

Whenever Hayat reported abuse, either her husband was released by police after a few hours, or she was offered shelter which would have meant her children being taken away.

"Go speak to a hundred women, you'll hear pretty much the same story. It’s like a pre-destined misery that we're born to live through," Hayat, the only name she gives so as to protect her identity, told Reuters.

Turkey, which aspires to join the European Union, has drafted new legislation to try to bring women's rights in line with European standards. A law sent to parliament just last month will toughen sentencing for sexual assault.

Officials say the number of shelters has doubled in the past three years and victim support centers have been set up, allowing women like Hayat to receive protection and remain with their children.

But activists and lawyers say there are still not enough, and that an increasingly conservative and authoritarian political culture under Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's government, means progress is, at best, halting.

Turkey ranked 120th of 136 nations in the World Economic Forum's 2013 Gender Gap Index, down 15 places since 2006, while a 2011 U.N. report indicated domestic violence rates were almost twice those in the United States, and ten times higher than in some European countries.

"There is a real concrete, open threat to our rights. They want to take them back from us, and we don't want to give them back," said Zelal Ayman, an activist with Istanbul-based Women for Women's Rights (WWHR).

She points to Erdogan's strident views on everything from abortion to the number of children women should have, the sort of meddling in private life that may bolster his standing among his pious core supporters but which alienates a more Western-leaning, secularist strain of Turkish society.

In a 2010 speech, he said he did "not believe in the equality of men and women". Two years later, he likened abortions to the killing of civilians in a military airstrike; activists say abortions all but stopped, since many healthworkers became too frightened to carry them out.

Erdogan, who has loyal support among religious conservatives in the mostly Sunni Muslim though constitutionally secular nation, is expected to win a presidential race next month which could hand him even greater powers.

ENFORCEMENT

Turkey has prospered in more than a decade under Erdogan, with Turks' wealth tripling in nominal terms and the economy accelerating from a backwater to the world's 17th largest.

But activists say civil rights have not kept pace. Last year's human rights report for the U.S. State Department found that violence against women was widespread, despite attempts to beef up legislation and training programs for officials.

"The government did not effectively or fully enforce these laws or protect victims, and victims often waited days or weeks to report incidents due to embarrassment or reprisals, hindering effective prosecution of assailants," the report said.

Accurate statistics are hard to come by, with the nature of the crimes not always fully reported, but rights groups warn killings are on the rise. Anit Sayac, a website commemorating the victims of domestic violence, reported 229 deaths last year, almost double the level in 2011.

This year could hit a macabre new record, with 123 murders reported by July 11, the site indicated. Activists briefly occupied government buildings earlier this month in protest at a spate of killings reported in local newspapers.

Stories of battered women, sometimes accompanied by pictures of murder victims, are not uncommon in the Turkish media.

Elif Safak, arguably Turkey's best-known female author, says such violence is a symptom of a society in which women are seen as possessions and aggression - from politics to altercations in the street - is a part of daily life.

She points to fist fights between MPs, deadly clashes last summer between police and anti-government demonstrators, or the kicking by one of Erdogan's aides of a protester earlier this year in the wake of a mining disaster as signs of how normalized violence has become in Turkish society.

"The ongoing political polarization intensifies the aggressiveness and vice versa," she said in an interview. "Erdogan's speeches deepen the "us versus them" duality."

She acknowledged patriarchal attitudes were nothing new even in the modern secular republic, forged from the ruins of an Ottoman theocracy in the 1920s by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who among other reforms promoted Western dress and women's rights.

It is a legacy some see as at risk.

The head scarf, symbol of female piety once banned from state institutions under Ataturk, is now seen in colleges and even the presidential palace. Erdogan's wife stands alongside him, head covered, and his public exhortations on women's role suggest a more traditionalist view.

"For us, motherhood is the highest position for a woman," he told supporters at a political rally on Saturday, according to Hurriyet Daily news.

PATRIARCHAL ATTITUDES

Yildiz Tokman from the Association for Monitoring Gender Equality says Erdogan's words have made abortions de facto illegal and women in Turkey less safe.

"Government officials act like small prime ministers, saying that a woman's place is with her husband. I'm afraid of increasing conservatism. With conservatism, the first victim is always women," she said.

The government strongly denies suggestions it is encroaching on women's rights. One official said some women's groups refused to work with the authorities to tackle domestic violence simply because they resent government oversight or disagree with its broader political ideology.

"It’s politics ... Standing there and saying I’m not going to play is not always the right thing to do," the official said on condition of anonymity, pointing to the establishment of nationwide anti-domestic violence programs.

According to government figures, the number of shelters for battered women has nearly doubled to 92 from 48 in 2011. Activists note new legislation means only communities with more than 100,000 inhabitants are required to have a shelter, instead of half that figure previously, and many municipalities don't provide the service, blaming a lack of funding.

The official said training was being rolled out for state employees, policemen and soldiers, while 14 new violence monitoring and prevention centers (SONIM) - one-stop shops providing health, judicial and psychological support for victims - have been established.

But for Hayat and women like her, trapped in abusive relationships, the promises of politicians - from stricter punishment to better care provision - means little if the attitudes they promote do not change in step.

"Higher penalties on paper will neither stop my husband nor anyone else’s husband. There is no implementation anyway," she said. "If they’re not going to implement the laws they already have, why bother trying to make new ones?"

PR Newswire

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 7, 2014

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Ross R. Moody, President of National Western Life Insurance Company (Nasdaq: NWLI), announced today second quarter 2014 consolidated net earnings of $29.2 million, or $8.25 per diluted Class A common share, compared with consolidated net earnings of $27.0 million, or $7.62 per diluted Class A common share, for the second quarter of 2013. For the six months ended June 30, 2014, the Company reported consolidated net earnings of $49.0 million, or $13.86 per diluted Class A common share, compared with $43.6 million, or $12.32 per diluted Class A common shares, a year ago. The Company's book value per share increased to $416.89 as of June 30, 2014 from $406.54 at March 31, 2014.

The Company reported earnings from operations, excluding net realized gains and losses on investments, of $27.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2014, or $7.69 per diluted Class A common share, compared to $26.0 million, or $7.33 per diluted Class A common share, in the same period for 2013. Commenting on the second quarter results, Mr. Moody stated that earnings for the current period reflect improved policy benefit and operating expense outcomes. "We were fortunate to not incur significant or unusual claim experience or operational expense items this earnings cycle. Past quarterly results have included provisions for legal matters or policyholder obligations and our second quarter was significant for not having such items," Mr. Moody remarked. Earnings from operations for the six months ended June 30, 2014 increased 12% over the comparable prior year period. Mr. Moody noted that the persisting low interest rate environment continues to be a challenge for the industry. "Since the majority of our sales involve interest-sensitive products, we are acutely aware of the pressure on spread margins that comes with the present interest rate levels. We monitor this closely which is reflected in our earnings results for the first six months of this year," Mr. Moody observed.

Total revenues for the quarter ended June 30, 2014 increased to $206.8 million compared to $182.9 million in the second quarter of 2013 primarily due to higher market valuations of index options the Company purchases to support its fixed-index policy obligations. Mr. Moody indicated, "Our annuity sales were up 7% in the second quarter this year over last year and roughly 90% of these sales are fixed-index products. With the growth in this segment of our business, the notional amount of policy obligations that we cover through the purchase of call options correspondingly increases. Although not affecting profitability, the fluctuation in revenues caused by market valuation movements for these options can be sizable in any given reporting period."

Founded in 1956, National Western Life is a stock life insurance company offering a broad portfolio of individual universal life, whole life and term insurance plans, annuity products, and investment contracts meeting the financial needs of its customers in 49 states as well as residents of various countries in Central and South America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Rim. The Company has approximately 272 employees and 23,970 contracted independent agents, brokers, and consultants, and at June 30, 2014, maintained total assets of $11.1 billion, stockholders' equity of $1.5 billion, and life insurance in force of $22.5 billion.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:This press release contains statements which are or may be viewed as forward-looking within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 2005. Forward-looking statements relate to future operations, strategies, financial results or other developments, and are subject to assumptions, risks, and uncertainties. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements can be found in the Company's Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statement was made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that other factors not currently anticipated by the Company will not materially and adversely affect our results of operations. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf.

Summary of Consolidated Operating Results (Unaudited)

(In thousands except per share data)

Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

June 30,

June 30,

2014

2013

2014

2013

Revenues:

Revenues, excluding investment and index option gains

158,525

164,566

314,467

318,853

Realized and unrealized gains on index options

45,251

16,692

45,799

91,124

Realized gains on investments

3,065

1,601

4,578

3,914

Total revenues

206,841

182,859

364,844

413,891

Earnings:

Earnings from operations

27,191

25,950

46,033

41,079

Net realized gains on investments

1,992

1,041

2,976

2,544

Net earnings

29,183

26,991

49,009

43,623

Net earnings attributable to Class A shares

28,358

26,227

47,623

42,389

Basic Earnings Per Class A Share:

Earnings from operations

7.70

7.35

13.02

11.62

Net realized gains on investments

0.56

0.29

0.84

0.72

Net earnings

8.26

7.64

13.86

12.34

Basic Weighted Average Class A Shares

3,435

3,435

3,435

3,435

Diluted Earnings Per Class A Share:

Earnings from operations

7.69

7.33

13.02

11.60

Net realized gains on investments

0.56

0.29

0.84

0.72

Net earnings

8.25

7.62

13.86

12.32

Diluted Weighted Average Class A Shares

3,437

3,442

3,437

3,441

Investor Relations Contact:Brian M. Pribyl - Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer(512) 836-1010bpribyl@nationalwesternlife.comwww.nationalwesternlife.com

SOURCE National Western Life Insurance Company