The Blender 3-29-05

By Rachel Campbell

Tuesday, March 29, 2005 2:07 AM CST

Dion unleashes magical liquefied force Celine Dion released a new fragrance, Belong, that represents the woman she has become while living out of the tabloid glare with her husband and young son. "The new fragrance reflects where Celine is right now in her life - enjoying her family when she is out of the spotlight," said Coty president Eric Thoreux in a related statement. Dion, who was involved in virtually every facet of Belong's development, said, "This fragrance is about celebrating life. It's about a woman's inner beauty, her confidence, her passion and her sensuality. It's the way I like to feel about myself." In addition to reflecting one's enjoyment, celebrating life, and embodying inner passions, the elixir can also be applied to skin and hair to make you smell less like an unwashed freshman's gym locker at year's end. If you want.

Multimillionaire divorced (for now) Despite her admissions of repeated and sustained adultery, Susan Sosin, 51, received a divorce settlement from multimillionaire businessman husband Howard Sosin, 54, worth about $45 million. The divorce settlement, official as of last Wednesday, allocated $24 million in cash, a $3.6 million Manhattan apartment, homes in Utah and New York state, $6 million in brokerage accounts, $2.9 million in jewelry, and eight cars to Susan, a package that is significantly smaller than the one she set out for. Richard Albrecht, Howard's attorney, said that Susan originally wanted half her husband's estimated $168 million value, but wound up with a mere 27 percent. "My opinion is her conduct in this matter affected the award," Albrecht said. In a related story, I would like to publicly announce that I am madly in love with Howard Sosin.

Bread: Good again In the wake of waning interest in the low-carb diet craze, the federal government is taking the opportunity to remind Americans that three servings of whole grains every day are an important part of a nutritious diet. And easily accounted for, said Texas A&M University nutrition professor Joanne Lupton. "If you have a cereal high in whole grains, and you have a sandwich with whole grain bread for lunch, you can get your number of servings right there," Lupton told reporters. Studies show that eating three daily servings of whole grains reduces the risks of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, in addition to providing essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and carbohydrates. If you don't mind being FAT.

Town to get automobile regulatory lantern La Pine, Ore., population 5,800, is pleased to announce its first traffic light at the intersection of First Street and Huntington Road, The Associated Press reports. Although technically the traffic light will not be installed for at least another year, Deschutes County traffic engineer Gary Judd told reporters the light will "have a real impact ... on people's perceptions of La Pine." He added, "La Pine is a very fast-growing area, and some people just don't understand that it's becoming a little city." Before the light can be installed, county officials must widen Huntington Road and First Street with left-turn lanes; and that too must wait for several land survey discrepancies that came to light in the 1970s to finally be resolved. The county also plans on eventually moving the witch-burning stakes to a less traffic-heavy area, perhaps near the whale oil refinery or the Li'l Angels Textile Mill & Orphanage.

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