NEW YORK (Reuters) - America's centenarians are generally content and believe staying active is key to longevity, and some are even using social media and email to stay in touch with family and friends, a survey released on Thursday showed.

The poll that compared the attitudes and lifestyle of baby boomers to centenarians showed the country's oldest citizens were more content than their younger counterparts and put more emphasis on eating a healthy diet and getting enough sleep.

"We are seeing clear differences in the generations," said Dr Rhonda Randall, chief medical officer of the healthcare company UnitedHealthcare & Retirement.

Although genetics play a big part, Randall said multiple factors contribute to longevity, including a positive attitude.

"Reflecting fondly and confidently on the choices they've made throughout their lives helps the longest-living Americans maintain a sense of satisfaction and well-being that's vital to healthy aging," she explained.

Census Bureau figures show that in 2010 there were more than 53,000 centenarians in the United States, an increase of 65.8 percent since 1980. By 2050 their numbers are expected to hit 600,000.

The survey of 100 centenarians and 300 baby boomers commissioned by UnitedHealthcare showed half of the elderly would not change a thing in their life, compared to only 29 percent of boomers.

Ten percent of centenarians said they wish they had taken better care of themselves and focused more on relationships. Only 6 percent would have wanted to have more money, compared to 26 percent of baby boomers who said they regretted they had not saved more.

Equal numbers of both generations recognized the importance of keeping active and socially connected and the importance of family.

"Whether it is family, a faith-based organization or friends, feeling connected to others is very important to health and well being," Randall explained.

In a sign of just how important social connections are, more than a third of the elderly said they had kept up a friendship for more than 75 years.

Although a landline is the most common way centenarians keep in touch, nearly half of both groups recognized that cellphones, email and text messages make it easier to stay connected.

Thirty nine percent of centenarians used social media, compared to 56 percent of boomers.

Randall said centenarians' desire to keep up with technology is part of their positive attitude and shows it is never too late to learn.

Nearly half, 45 percent, of the elderly said they were most nostalgic about young adulthood.

When asked about the best thing about reaching 100, more than a third thought it was the ability to spend more time with their children and grandchildren, and 26 percent said it was the opportunity to spend more time traveling.

(Reporting by Patricia Reaney; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

The historical bestseller set in Henry VIII's court has already won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction and the Costa Book Award. If she takes the Women's Prize, Mantel will become the first person to win all three of Britain's top literary prizes.

The shortlist for the 30,000-pound ($45,900) literary prize released on Tuesday also included two former winners: fellow Briton Zadie Smith for "NW" and American writer Barbara Kingsolver for "Flight Behaviour".

The other three books were "Where'd You Go Bernadette" by U.S. author Maria Semple, "May We Be Forgiven" from American A.M. Homes and "Life After Life" by Briton Kate Atkinson.

"The shortlist for 2013 represents six tremendous writers at the top of their game," chair of the judging panel Miranda Richardson said.

"Their individual novels are flawlessly presented, they contain a heady mix of ideas and without exception take the reader on a unique and deeply satisfying journey."

"Bring Up the Bodies" is the second book in Mantel's trilogy about Cromwell's rise to power. The other novels on the shortlist included Smith's look at characters in north London, a darkly comic novel about 21st century domesticity from Homes and Kingsolver's exploration of climate change and rural poverty in America's Appalachian region.

Atkinson's tale follows the turbulent events of the last century in Britain through the constantly reincarnating character of Ursula Todd. Semple sets her story in Seattle, where 15-year-old Bee searches for her missing, wealthy and erratic mother Bernadette Fox.

Set up in 1996 to celebrate and promote international fiction by women throughout the world to the widest range of readers possible, the Women's Prize for Fiction is awarded annually for the best novel of the year written by a woman.

Any woman writing in English - whatever her nationality, country of residence, age or subject matter - is eligible.

The award ceremony will take place in London on June 5.

Previous winners besides Smith and Kingsolver include Madeline Miller for "The Song of Achilles" last year, Rose Tremain for "The Road Home" in 2008 and Lionel Shriver for "We Need to Talk About Kevin" in 2005.

($1 = 0.6531 British pounds)

(Reporting by Paul Casciato; Editing by Pravin Char)

Syria has hinted at possible retribution against Israel since the Jewish state carried out the airstrikes over the weekend, although official government statements have been relatively mild. In that light, the Assad regime's decision to allow a minor Syria-based Palestinian group to prepare for attacks is largely seen as a face-saving gesture unlikely to escalate the confrontation with Israel.

"Syria has given the green light to set up missile batteries to directly attack Israeli targets," Anwar Raja of the Damascus-based Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command told The Associated Press.

He said authorities also told the PFLP-GC that the group could carry out attacks independently without consulting Syrian authorities.

"Practically, the Syrian stand has always been supportive of the Palestinian resistance and Syria provides the Palestinian resistance with all capabilities including all kinds of weapons," Raja said.

When the revolt against Assad's rule began in March 2011, the half-million-strong Palestinian community in Syria largely stayed on the sidelines.But as the uprising shifted into a civil war, many Palestinians backed the rebels, while some groups have been fighting on the government side.

Those include the PFLP-GC, a small Damascus-based Palestinian militant faction that the U.S has designated a terrorist organization.

In the 1960s through 1980s, PFLP-GC militants hijacked an Israeli airliner, machine-gunned another at Zurich's airport, and blew up a Tel Aviv-bound Swissair plane, killing all 47 aboard. In 1987, a PFLP-GC guerrilla flew from Lebanon into Israel on a hang-glider and killed six soldiers before being shot dead.

While the group earned notoriety for its past attacks on Israel, it has been eclipsed in the past 20 years by the other Islamic militant groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Israel's government has not formally confirmed involvement in the strikes on Syria. However, Israeli officials have said the attacks were meant to prevent advanced Iranian weapons from reaching Lebanon's Hezbollah militia, an ally of Syria and foe of Israel.

The airstrikes raised the possibility of a wider regional conflict with Syria, which is already engulfed in a civil war that has killed more than 70,000 people, as its focal point.

Iran, a close ally of the Assad regime, has condemned the Israeli attacks and warned of possible retaliation.

But on Tuesday, Iran's foreign minister said it is Syria's Arab neighbors not Tehran who should respond to the Israeli strikes.

Speaking to reporters in Amman, Jordan, Ali Akbar Salehi said Arab nations "must stand by their brethren in Damascus."

The Israeli strikes were met with condemnation from Arab nations, even those who oppose Assad and support the rebellion against him, but the protests stopped there.

Iran is deeply concerned with the fate of the Assad regime, which has allowed Syrian territory to serve as a conduit for Iranian weapons and other support to reach their proxy, Hezbollah. Tehran has supplied cash and weapons to help the Syrian government in its efforts to crush the anti-Assad revolt.

Salehi warned of the possible repercussions if the government in Damascus was to fall.

"The fallout from a vacuum in Syria will have adverse effects on its neighbors and the whole region," he said. "There will be serious repercussions from a vacuum. It will be grave and nobody can predict the results."

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Associated Press writer Jamal Halaby in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report.

AMMAN (Reuters) - It was too late when air raid sirens wailed at one of Syria's most fortified military compounds. Israeli jets were already attacking the Hameh complex and civilian employees in nearby housing were scrambling for cover with their families.

Around Damascus the warplanes staged a series of raids in the early hours of Sunday including on President Bashar al-Assad's air defenses, opposition and rebel sources said. But none had more devastating results than at Hameh, a high-walled site linked to his chemical and biological weapons program.

"Families ran to basements and stayed there," said one witness of the attack on Hameh that lit up the night sky and shook the ground kilometers (miles) away. "We heard ambulances. There were very few workers at the compound at that time but an attack of this scale must have killed a lot of soldiers among the guards and patrols."

The raids have raised fears that Israel could be drawn into Syria's civil war, in which the United Nations says 70,000 people have died since an uprising against Assad family rule began two years ago. Damascus has accused Israel of effectively helping what it calls al Qaeda Islamist terrorists.

Western intelligence sources said the attacks were designed to prevent Syria sending Iranian-supplied missiles to the Shi'ite Hezbollah group in neighboring Lebanon for possible use against Israel. An Israeli general played down the consequences on Monday, saying: "There are no winds of war".

The witness said windows were blown out in workers' flats several hundred meters (yards) from Hameh's perimeter, even though the centre of the blasts was further away on the huge site, which is surrounded by air defenses.

Opposition sources said the warplanes also hit facilities manned by Assad's Republican Guards on Mount Qasioun, which overlooks central Damascus, and the nearby Barada River basin.

The area is believed to be a supply route to Hezbollah, according to residents, activists and opposition military sources. Their statements could not be verified due to restrictions on media operating in Syria.

RIGHT ON TARGET

One rebel commander said Assad's forces have been fortifying their positions on Qasioun since the uprising began in March 2011. "The Israelis still managed to get to the weapons stores. The secondary explosions indicate that they were right on target," he said, adding that Syrian air defenses, already weakened by the civil war "could not do anything".

Other opposition sources also said the targets included air defenses comprising Russian-made surface to air missiles and heavy anti-aircraft guns, deployed on Qasioun and overlooking the rebellious Damascus district of Barzeh.

"The destruction appeared to be massive. We have heard that the army has asked rank and file personnel based in Qasioun and those on leave to stay away. The military usually does this sort of thing when there is a big mess to sort out," said one activist in Damascus, who did not want to be named.

Assad's forces have fired on rebels from Qasioun, which is largely a closed military zone apart from a strip of restaurants, flattening areas of Damascus below.

However, it was unclear whether Israel was effectively helping the rebels by raiding the Qasioun sites, as Damascus has said, or attacked the air defenses purely to safeguard its own operations against Iranian-supplied missiles.

The Syrian government has said that Israel raided three military sites. Several media published what they described as a photo supplied by the official Syrian news agency showing a huge pile of collapsed concrete at a flattened building in an unspecified site they said was targeted by the Israelis. Reuters could not verify the photo.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, a strong opponent of Assad, said on Tuesday the Israeli air strikes had given the Syrian government an opportunity to cover up its own killings.

"The air strike Israel carried out on Damascus is completely unacceptable. There is no rationale, no pretext that can excuse this operation," Erdogan told parliament in Ankara.

Opposition sources familiar with the Hameh site said a large section of the compound housing missile systems appeared to have been hit. Mobile missile launchers, part of a Russian-supplied SA-17 air defense system deployed elsewhere on Qasioun, also appear to have been destroyed, they said

Western intelligence agencies suspect work on chemical weapons has been conducted at Hameh. Assad's government and the rebels have accused each other of carrying out three chemical weapons attacks, one near Aleppo and another near Damascus in March, and another near Homs in December.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitoring group based in Britain, said at least 42 Syrian soldiers were killed and 100 others are missing.

Other opposition sources put the death toll at 300 soldiers, mostly belonging to the Republican Guards, an elite unit that forms the last line of defense for Damascus and comprises mainly members of Assad's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam that has controlled Syria since the 1960s.

Although casualties among Assad's troops appeared to be high, opposition sources said the raids were mainly targeted on storage facilities. "Whatever they hit, there is little chance that anything was left intact," another source in Damascus said.

(editing by David Stamp)

Singh, who won a middleweight bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was ordered by the ministry to take a test after local police accused him of using heroin on several occasions amid allegations from a fellow boxer.

"Vijender Singh...along with four others was subjected to an out-of-competition test for banned substances," the sports ministry said in a statement.

"The Ministry...is glad to announce that on the basis of these tests none of the boxers were found to have used any banned substances in the recent past."

Singh came under scrutiny when a fellow boxer told investigators after a $24-million drug haul in the northern state of Punjab last month that he and Singh had consumed heroin supplied by a drug dealer.

The 27-year-old Singh denied the allegation.

(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; editing by Clare Fallon)

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate on the 30-year loan increased to 3.71 percent. That's up from 3.67 percent last week, the lowest since long-term mortgages began in the 1950s.

The average rate on the 15-year mortgage, a popular refinancing option, rose to 2.98 percent. That's up from 2.94 percent last week, also a record low.

The rate on the 30-year loan has been below 4 percent since early December. Low rates are a key reason the housing industry is showing modest signs of a recovery this year.

In April, sales of both previously occupied homes and new homes rose near two-year highs. Builders are gaining more confidence in the market, breaking ground on more homes and requesting more permits to build single-family homes later this year.

Low rates could also provide some help to the economy if more people refinance. When people refinance at lower rates, they pay less interest on their loans and have more money to spend.

Still, the pace of home sales remains well below healthy levels. Economists say it could be years before the market is fully healed.

Many people are still having difficulty qualifying for home loans or can't afford larger down payments required by banks. Some would-be home buyers are holding off because they fear that home prices could keep falling.

The economy is growing only modestly and job creation slowed sharply in April and May. U.S. employers created only 69,000 jobs in May, the fewest in a year.

Mortgage rates have been dropping because they tend to track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note. Uncertainty about how Europe will resolve its debt crisis has led investors to buy more Treasury securities, which are considered safe investments. As demand for Treasurys increase, the yield falls.

To calculate average rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country on Monday through Wednesday of each week.

The average does not include extra fees, known as points, which most borrowers must pay to get the lowest rates. One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount.

The average fee for 30-year loans was 0.7 point, unchanged from last week. The fee for 15-year loans also was unchanged at 0.7 point.

The average rate on one-year adjustable rate mortgages slipped to 2.78 percent from 2.79 percent last week. The fee for one-year adjustable rate loans was 0.5, up from 0.4.

The contrast reflects a fundamental conundrum for Arab leaders.

Nearly all Arab states have sided with the rebel forces seeking to topple Assad and inflict a blow to his main ally, Iran. And Sunday's attack by Israeli warplanes in Syria the second in three days was the type of punishing response many Arab leaders have urged from the West against Assad after more than two years of civil war.

The fact the fighter jets came from Israel, however, exposes the complications and regional crosscurrents that make Syria the Arab Spring's most intricate puzzle.

While Israel and much of the Arab world share suspicions about Iran, including worries over its nuclear ambitions and expanding military, the perception that they are allied against Assad even indirectly is strongly knocked down by many Arab leaders.

The airstrikes also highlight one of the critical side issues of the Syrian conflict: the Iranian-backed Shiite militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Israeli warplanes apparently targeted a shipment of highly accurate, Iranian-made Fateh-110 guided missiles believed to be bound for Hezbollah.

Toppling Assad would cut the arms pipeline that runs from Shiite giant Iran to Hezbollah. But Hezbollah remains deeply popular on the Arab street for its battles with Israel, including a war in 2006 in which Hezbollah fired thousands of rockets into Israel.

No Arab leader wants to be perceived as giving a green light for Israeli attacks.

Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby warned of serious repercussions from the Israeli attacks and called on the U.N. Security Council to "immediately move to stop the Israeli aggressions on Syria."

Elaraby described the Israeli airstrikes as a "grave violation of the sovereignty of an Arab state that will further complicate the issue in Syria and expose the region's security and stability to the most serious threats and consequences."

Also Sunday, Elaraby held talks with Mouaz al-Khatib, who recently resigned as chief of the Syrian National Coalition of opposition forces, to discuss the Israeli raids and other issues. At an Arab League summit in late March, Elaraby backed a declaration by host Qatar that gave member states "the right" to back the Syrian opposition.

Qatar and other wealthy Gulf Arab have become leading backers of Syria's opposition in a dual bid to expand their influence while crippling Iran. Official Gulf reaction to the Israeli attacks was limited to straightforward reports with little commentary.

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi condemned Israel's airstrikes, calling them a violation of international law and warning they complicate the civil war in that country.

The statement from Morsi's office added that Egypt also "strongly objects" to the bloodshed and the use of Syria's military against its people, but rejected the violation of Syrian sovereignty and "exploiting its internal crisis under whatever pretext."

Egypt launched an Arab bid to bring a peaceful end Syria's civil war, but it gained little momentum.

Lebanon's Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour called on the Arab League to take a "firm stance regarding Israel's aggression against Syria." Mansour said that Israel is paving the way "for a wide aggression that would blow up the region."

In Iraq, the Syrian crisis has forced the Shiite-led government in Baghdad to try to balance its ties to Arab partners and its close bonds to Iran. In a statement, influential anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said "Syria's dignity should be preserved" and urged Assad to "retaliate."

Egypt's Popular Current, a leftist opposition group headed by former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi, said in a statement that it condemns the "licentious" Israeli attack.

"No single Arab person, regardless of how much they disagree with the regime of Bashar Assad, can accept this aggression," the group said, calling Israel the "first enemy" of the Arab world.

The airstrikes come as Washington considers how to respond to indications that the Syrian regime may have used chemical weapons. President Barack Obama has described the use of such weapons as a "red line," and the administration is weighing its options, including possible military action.

___

Murphy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Even the most ardent of supporters might find that optimism difficult following a deflating home loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Buoyed by a split of the first two games of the first-round series in Pittsburgh, the Islanders came home to Nassau Coliseum with the feeling they could upset the Penguins the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference. New York jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first period on Sunday only to be behind by the time the intermission arrived.

The Islanders then climbed out of a two-goal hole in the third period, but couldn't seal the deal before falling 5-4 in overtime on Chris Kunitz's second power-play goal of the game.

Pittsburgh has a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, yet this advantage seems to be even greater.

"The sun is going to come up tomorrow," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said shortly after the sudden loss. "It takes four to win the series."

While that is true, the Islanders were counting on winning these two games at Nassau Coliseum to build off their Game 2 victory and keep home-ice advantage in their favor. Now the best New York can hope for is to go back to Pittsburgh tied at 2 after Game 4 on Tuesday.

If the Islanders lose again, they will face elimination without any guarantee of returning home for another game.

"We played a good game," said star forward John Tavares, whose first NHL playoff goal lifted the Islanders into a 4-4 tie in the third. "We need to regroup and know that we're playing some good hockey. We're creating opportunities and believe in ourselves."

There is that hopeful word again.

Very few expected the Islanders to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win Game 2 on the road, but they did. Perhaps they have another surprising comeback in them.

It isn't often that four goals isn't enough to win a playoff game, so if they can keep the offense rolling and figure out a way to slow the Penguins' power play, they could turn the series back around.

Kunitz scored Pittsburgh's third man-advantage goal of the game 8:44 into overtime, off the third assist of the day by Sidney Crosby, and the Penguins rode a slew of ups and downs en route to the win.

Crosby, playing his second game after missing a month because of a broken jaw, drew the decisive penalty against Brian Strait, who held the Penguins captain as he drove the net 33 seconds before the winning goal.

"He kind of wrapped me up," Crosby said. "I pulled up looking for someone. I didn't see anyone, so I thought I would take it to the net.

"We were hoping we could get it done quickly."

The Penguins went 3 for 5 on the power play and yielded Kyle Okposo's short-handed goal, but held New York scoreless on its three advantages.

"We had our chances. They scored on the power plays and we didn't," said Capuano, who declined to comment on the officiating.

When New York scored twice in the first 5:41 to go up 2-0 in Game 3, old Nassau Coliseum rocked as it did in the Stanley Cup-winning days of the early 1980s. However, this was the Islanders' first home playoff game since 2007, and the fans were soaking it all in.

Not so fast.

The Penguins stormed back with a pair of power-play goals 19 seconds apart first by Jarome Iginla on a 5-on-3 advantage, and then by Kunitz on the second half. When Pascal Dupuis gave Pittsburgh its first lead with 1 minute left in the opening period capping the three-goal spurt in 5:42 the early euphoria was gone in a flash.

"You have to give them credit. They got up two and they showed no quit," said Iginla, a key late-season trade pickup by the Penguins. "It meant a lot on the road to get those two back.

"There is a lot of emotion, unpredictability in the playoffs. You have to learn to control that."

Douglas Murray pushed Pittsburgh's lead to 4-2 in the second, and it appeared the Penguins would cruise. But it was a bumpy road back against the upstart Islanders.

Okposo, who had a game-turning fight and game-winning goal in Game 2, started this comeback with a short-handed goal that made it 4-3 at 5:31 of the third. Tavares tied it with 9:12 remaining in regulation.

"I'm not worried about our hockey team," Capuano said. "We've bounced back all year. I know the resiliency of these guys and the way they've battled."

After Strait took down Crosby in overtime, Penguins coach Dan Bylsma used his timeout to rest his power-play unit, and the move paid off. Crosby fed Kunitz in the slot for a hard shot that beat goalie Evgeni Nabokov to win it.

Evgeni Malkin added two assists, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 32 saves for Pittsburgh.

Matt Moulson and Casey Cizikas scored 3:58 apart in the first period for the Islanders.

Tavares got the party restarted with his late tying goal. He was serenaded with chants of "M-V-P" when he scored and after the goal was announced to the crowd.

The Penguins started their comeback and cut the deficit in half when Iginla deflected in Kris Letang's hard one-timer, off a pass from Crosby, past Nabokov on Pittsburgh's only shot of the two-man advantage. The Penguins needed only one more drive to get even.

Malkin sent a pass from blue line to blue line to Kunitz, who streaked in alone on Nabokov and snapped a shot inside the right post at 13:37.

"With the 5-on-3 they got back in the game," Nabokov said. "It seems like every time we go down two men, we don't win hockey games. We have to find a way to stay out of the box as much as possible.

"I thought other than that we played really well."

Crosby showed off his exceptional passing skills again after he surged into the right circle. Crouched down, putting his weight toward his backhand side, Crosby deftly eluded a defenseman and slid the puck in front to the hard-charging Dupuis, who crashed into Tavares covering late and shoved the puck in to give the Penguins a 3-2 edge.

"It's great to see him back, making all those plays," Kunitz said of Crosby.

(Photo: )

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Under Mr. Bershadker's leadership, the ASPCA has risen to new heights in its response to cruelty and natural disasters. The Anti-Cruelty Group evolved from a fledgling team of responders to a robust, national program that confronts animal cruelty and suffering on all levels across the country. Mr. Bershadker helped form the Field Investigations & Response team to provide skilled support to state and federal agencies during large-scale puppy mill busts, dog fighting raids, animal hoarding cases, and other instances of animal cruelty as well as natural disasters such as the Joplin, Mo. tornado and Superstorm Sandy. The team has investigated hundreds of cases around the country. Last year, the ASPCA played a leadership role in the removal of 50 dogs from a Bronx dog fighting ring. Most recently, the ASPCA assisted federal and state authorities in the removal of nearly 100 dogs from a multi-state dog fighting ring.

Prior to leading the Anti-Cruelty Group, Mr. Bershadker served as Vice President of the ASPCA's Development department, where he was responsible for creating fundraising strategy and implementing tactics for major gifts, planned giving, special events, capital campaign, and corporate and foundation grants.

Chair of the Board Tim F. Wray stated: "Matt is far and away the most outstanding choice to be the next leader of the ASPCA. His extensive experience, energy and unwavering commitment to animal welfare, coupled with his strong understanding of business management and the non-profit world, make him the ideal leader for the organization as we pursue our mission. I, along with the rest of the Board, look forward to working with him in his new role. We thank Ed Sayres for all he has contributed to this organization and the welfare of animals. Ed grew the ASPCA by leaps and bounds and changed the fate of countless homeless animals. We wish him the very best."

"I am thrilled to serve the ASPCA, its members and the many communities around the country where we play a vital role," stated Mr. Bershadker. "We have made significant strides on behalf of animals around the country, but there is much more to do. I look forward to working with the executive leadership team and our staff to continue to pursue our mission and develop successful initiatives and programs to take animal welfare to next level."

Mr. Bershadker has been instrumental in the creation of the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison, N.J., the first-ever facility dedicated strictly to providing behavioral rehabilitation to canine victims of cruelty, such as those confiscated from puppy mills and hoarding cases.

During Mr. Bershadker's tenure, the ASPCA also launched the Cruelty Intervention Advocacy program, a ground-breaking new initiative to help protect companion animals that are in danger of potential abuse or neglect, helping hundreds of New York City's animals in jeopardy of becoming cruelty victims.

Before joining the ASPCA, Mr. Bershadker worked for ICF Consulting and Share Our Strength (SOS). He received his MBA from Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School and his Bachelor's degree in Communications from Ohio University.

Mr. Bershadker serves on the board of the Gruber Family Foundation and Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. He lives in New York City with his wife, Nina, son Elias and their dog, Thelma.

About the ASPCA Founded in 1866, the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is the first animal welfare organization in North America and serves as the nation's leading voice for animals. More than two million supporters strong, the ASPCA's mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. For more information, please visit , and be sure to follow the ASPCA on , , and .

SOURCE ASPCA

The first lady is asking children ages 8 to 12 and their parents to create nutritious lunch recipes that represent each of the food groups for "The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge."

Winners will travel to Washington to sample some of the original dishes at the second White House kids' "state dinner" luncheon this summer.

The deadline to submit recipes is May 12. Last year's challenge received more than 1,200 entries.

The contest, created by Epicurious.com, is a partnership among the food website, Mrs. Obama and the departments of Education and Agriculture.

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Online:

http://www.recipechallenge.epicurious.com