Cherry blossoms coming soon

(CNN) -- It was a simple ceremony on the northern bank of Washington's Tidal Basin, attended by only a few people.

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Cherry blossoms coming soon

(CNN) -- It was a simple ceremony on the northern bank of Washington's Tidal Basin, attended by only a few people.

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Spectacular hotel rooftop pools

(Departures ) -- The Skypark pool atop the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore might be one of the most magnificent pools on earth: It's an infinity-edged oasis 650 feet above ground with a mind-blowing view of the city's skyline. It's part of a massive rooftop entertainment platform perched atop three skyscrapers.

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New iPad can overheat, some say

(CNN) -- The new iPad may be a hot item in more ways than one.

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China hits rough patch, but landing looks soft

Chinese manufacturing is slowing but the overall economic outlook remains fairly robust, easing worries of a hard landing.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The high-flying Chinese economy appears to be losing some altitude, but experts say the danger of a hard landing still seems remote.

Thursday's disappointing reading on Chinese manufacturing was just the latest data to take the wind out of the U.S. stock market and pressure prices for industrial commodities.

Investors have been worried that China's economy may be slowing at a faster clip than previously thought.

Shares of U.S. companies that do a lot of business in China bore the brunt, with Caterpillar (CAT, Fortune 500), Alcoa (AA, Fortune 500) and Boeing (BA, Fortune 500) falling sharply.

The Shanghai Composite (SHCOMP) and the Heng Seng (HSI) have both declined more than 1% so far this week.

Crude oil and copper prices have also tumbled this week. Copper, in particular, is considered a barometer of overall economic health because it's used to manufacture everything from pipes for plumbing to cars to semiconductors.

While the Chinese economy is definitely slowing down, concerns about a so-called hard landing may be overdone, said Brian Gendreau, professor of finance at the University of Florida.

"I don't know that this is the clarion call for people to exit their China positions," said Gendreau, who is also a market strategist at broker-dealer Financial Network. "If they do that, they may find themselves having to buy them back later this year."

Economists expect China's gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic activity, to grow between 8% and 8.5% this year. That would be down from 9.2% last year and well below the most recent peak of 14% in 2007.

Even a decline to 8% is pretty robust compared with developed economies such as the United States, which is forecast to grow about 1.8% this year.

The Chinese government has taken steps to cool the nation's economy in an effort to combat inflation and deflate a bubble in the property market.

Earlier this month, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao lowered the nation's GDP target for 2012 to 7.5% from 8%, highlighting the government's focus on more sustainable growth.

Yet the recent spate of less-than-stellar economic news may raise pressure on the Chinese government to move toward more growth-friendly policies.

"The policy bias is clearly towards easing and being more preemptive," said Xian Liang, senior China analyst with U.S. Global Investors. "The government would act before things get worse."

In addition, economist say the slowdown in China is being driven largely by declining exports to the nation's main trading partners, including Europe and the United States.

Thursday's manufacturing report is "reflective of the fact that export growth has declined because of the slowdown around the world," said Jay Bryson, global economist at Wells Fargo Securities.

Official statistics due out next month, which include state-run enterprises, could show a slightly different picture of the Chinese manufacturing sector, he added.

Still, some economists warn that the data out of China could continue to disappoint investors and stoke concerns about a hard landing in the near term.

China's economy is expected to expand 7% in the first quarter, which would be the weakest quarter of the year, according to Barclays Capital's estimates.

While growth is expected to pick up again later in the year, worries about a hard landing could continue to weigh on financial markets.

"Whether our base case of a soft landing or the worse case of a hard landing materializes, the risk that investors take fright from a spate of weaker data is material," Barclays analysts said in a report.

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Closing arguments completed

New Brunswick, New Jersey (CNN) -- The defense and prosecution wrapped up their closing arguments Tuesday in the trial of a former Rutgers student accused of spying on and intimidating his gay roommate, who later killed himself by jumping off New York's George Washington Bridge.

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Smith, 49ers working to finalizing three-year deal

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Alex Smith and the San Francisco 49ers were working Tuesday night to finalize a three-year contract, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said.

The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made, said Tuesday night final details were still being worked out and it could be complete as soon as Wednesday.

"Oh, I'm excited," tight end Vernon Davis said in a text message. "I'm glad. Alex deserves all good things that come his way."

NFL Network first reported the sides had agreed on a new deal, which ESPN reported to be worth $24 million. Earlier in the day, Peyton Manning was formally introduced in Denver after the 49ers pursued the four-time NFL MVP. Coach Jim Harbaugh worked out Manning at Duke last Tuesday.

The 27-year-old Smith had met with Miami on Sunday but ultimately decided to stay put with the storied franchise that drafted him first overall in 2005.

Smith had a breakthrough season last year, helping San Francisco reach the NFC title game.

"Welcome Back (hashtag)AlexSmith. Let's get the train rolling now," tweeted 49ers defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois.

Both sides made it clear after the Niners' 20-17 overtime loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants in the NFC championship game they planned to work out a new deal.

It just took a little while longer than expected after Manning briefly entered the picture.

While Smith told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Sunday he was surprised Manning became a free agent, he said he understood the business side of the NFL - so perhaps it won't take long for Harbaugh and Smith to get over San Francisco's weeklong courting of Manning.

"It's a very strong relationship," Harbaugh told reporters while leaving team headquarters Tuesday, noting nothing had changed in Smith being "our guy." He declined to discuss negotiations.

Last spring, Harbaugh handed over his playbook to Smith during a brief lifting of the lockout - a show of confidence in the QB even though he wasn't under contract. Smith wound up re-signing for $4.9 million, then earned a $1 million bonus for making the playoffs as the 49ers ended an eight-year stretch without a postseason berth or winning record.

"I don't think there will be any bad blood because he went to Miami for an interview," former 49ers running back great Roger Craig said Tuesday. "That's part of the process, it's the nature of the beast. He has to do what's best for him and his family. I'm pretty sure the 49ers are going to work something out. Players love him, fans love him. I love him.

"I think Alex wants to get this put to bed so he can focus on having a great year, an All-Pro year this year," Craig said. "He doesn't want this dark cloud over him. It's really his time, and he understands the business. He knows it's a good situation."

49ers CEO Jed York had said the team's three-year offer still stood despite the pursuit of Manning, and it was just up to Smith to sign.

Long booed by his home fans at Candlestick Park, Smith threw for 3,150 yards and 17 touchdowns with only five interceptions last year as San Francisco went 13-3 to win its first division title since 2002. That was a remarkable turnaround under first-year coach and 15-year NFL quarterback Harbaugh - the NFL coach of the year - who declared his confidence in Smith as a winner from Day 1 when hired away from Stanford in January 2011.

San Francisco went 6-2 on the road and won four of those games in comeback fashion - and Smith rallied his team from behind five times in all, not to mention a 36-32 victory against the favored Saints in the NFC divisional playoffs. Smith completed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Davis with 9 seconds left to seal it after Drew Brees had put his team ahead.

"I can see these guys dominating for the next decade," Craig said. "The kind of intangibles Harbaugh brings to the table, he's very competitive and a smart guy and players believe in him, and just look how Alex stepped up his game."

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Spectacular hotel rooftop pools

(Departures ) -- The Skypark pool atop the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore might be one of the most magnificent pools on earth: It's an infinity-edged oasis 650 feet above ground with a mind-blowing view of the city's skyline. It's part of a massive rooftop entertainment platform perched atop three skyscrapers.

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Peyton Manning joins Denver Broncos

(CNN) -- Free agent quarterback Peyton Manning will play for the Denver Broncos, the team announced Tuesday.

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Illinois 'must-win' state for Romney

Wheaton, Illinois (CNN) -- Here we go again -- another Tuesday, another "must-win" primary state for Mitt Romney.

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Ian Thomsen: Even without their MVP, the Bulls look like contenders in Magic rout

ORLANDO -- Derrick Rose is turning out to be more valuable on the bench than Dwight Howard and other NBA stars have been on the floor. With their defense setting a franchise record in an 85-59 win over the Magic on Monday, the Bulls improved to 10-4 this year in the absence of Rose, the injured MVP. Their winning rate of 71.4 percent without him is better than all but two teams -- Oklahoma City and Miami -- in the everyday standings.

In a league ruled by the most talented individuals, Chicago is transcendent. Howard (18 points, 12 rebounds and four turnovers) was easily the biggest talent on the floor, yet he was outplayed by Carlos Boozer, who finished with 24 points on 12-for-18 shooting to go with 13 rebounds and four steals. The Bulls have overcome the absence of Rose, All-Star Luol Deng (who has missed nine games) and shooting guard Richard Hamilton (31 absences) to enable second-year coach Tom Thibodeau (100-30) to win his 100th game faster than any coach in league history. It's worthwhile to point out that Phil Jackson started out 100-42 with Michael Jordan -- who, by the way, was rarely injured.

"He's the hardest-working guy I've ever been around and he deserves it," said Bulls center Joakim Noah of his coach. The coach, in turn, would say the same kinds of things about his team, and no one in the league would argue with either one of them.

The other day Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy was mentioning to his assistants that the Bulls might be able to win games even if they were missing all five of their starters. "To me, they're the best team in the league as far as a team collectively playing together, being unselfish, being committed -- doing all of those things it takes to win," said Van Gundy before this game. "They're the best team.''

Then, without having to worry about Rose, Van Gundy watched the Bulls nonetheless control the pace and hold the full-strength Magic to 59 points, which is the fewest Chicago has ever allowed in a regular-season game. The Magic made 4 of 20 threes, provided Chicago with 25 points on 19 turnovers and shot no better from the free throw line than the Bulls did from the three-point line, as each went 7 of 18, respectively. When he wasn't acknowledging the superior teamwork of the Bulls, Van Gundy was criticizing himself. "Our offense was pathetic, and that's something that I have got to take a look at because we've got better players than that," he said. "I don't want to lay it on one or two guys, and I also don't want to absolve anybody. This is a team-wide thing."

A night like this raises intriguing questions for May and June. Might the Bulls be able to win a championship while overcoming the superior star power of the Heat, Thunder and other contenders? In the last week alone the Rose-less Bulls have beaten Miami, Orlando and Philadelphia, the other top seeds in the East. Rose should be in no hurry to push himself back from his latest groin injury because his absence generates opportunities for his teammates to grow more confident at the expense of their rivals. "Right now they're the No. 2 offensive team in the league and the No. 2 defensive team in the league," said Van Gundy. "You see those numbers, you're saying (they're a) championship contender."

The normal NBA thinking is to give a hard-driving team like these Bulls credit for their work in the regular season while asking whether they can raise their level of play in the postseason, which is something the stars of Miami should be able to do. But couldn't it also be true that the Bulls won't need to play any better or more efficiently than they have at their best this season? Or how about this one: If they can win as impressively as they have in recent days without Rose, then maybe they can yet elevate their overall game when he's at full strength when the real season starts in six weeks?

A team known for its point-guard play earned a clobbering victory on a night when its starting point guard, C.J. Watson, went 0 for 8 from the field with three assists and two turnovers. The Bulls are malleable and resilient. They pulled away at the end of the opening quarter on a trio of threes by aptly-named third-string point guard John Lucas III. He finished with 20 points in 21 minutes off the bench to outscore anyone in a Magic uniform, and each time Lucas made a shot the Chicago fans made the arena sound like it belonged to them.

"We've got a deep team," said Thibodeau, who is not one to exaggerate.

Someday soon enough, when Rose is healthy, we're going to find out if they have a championship team. There's no sense in saying they don't, because if they've shown a talent for anything, it's for creating splendid surprises.

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Marshall recovering from surgery

The father of North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall said Monday his son is recovering from surgery on his broken right wrist and it's unclear if he'll return for the NCAA regional games in St. Louis.

Dennis Marshall said the procedure done in Chapel Hill, N.C., to insert a screw into his son's wrist lasted about 35 minutes. He said when Kendall plays again would be based on "what would be best for Kendall in the long term" and that he didn't know whether the sophomore would be ready to play in the round of 16 against Ohio on Friday.

"I don't know because Kendall's just coming out of his anesthesia, we haven't talked and I don't know how he'll feel four days from now," Dennis Marshall said. "We just don't know.

"Is it impossible he plays this weekend? No, it's not. Is it likely he plays next weekend? It definitely is. It's something we just don't know."

The school also said Marshall's status was unclear for Friday's game in an update Monday afternoon. The Tar Heels (31-5) are the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional.

The left-handed point guard fractured the scaphoid bone - located near the thumb - when he was fouled driving to the basket during the second half of Sunday's win against Creighton at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Marshall popped right up, then came out of the media timeout and hit 1 of 2 free throws. He left briefly, then returned again and played about 7 minutes before leaving the game late with the victory secured.

"I didn't want my team to worry about me," Marshall said Sunday night. "So I tried to pop up as quick as possible and get to the free-throw line. I didn't want to make a big deal about it. I just want to keep playing and find a way to win."

Marshall, from Dumfries, Va., is a second-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference pick who has 351 assists in 36 games, the best season total in league history and fourth most in NCAA history.

The pass-first point guard is averaging about eight points and 10 assists, though he has stepped up his offense recently and scored in double figures the past six games. He had 18 points and 11 assists in the 87-73 win against the Bluejays, his fifth double-double in that span.

Marshall has been the Tar Heels' most irreplaceable player, leading the fast-paced offense with his see-everything court vision and perfect pitch-ahead passes in transition.

The Tar Heels lost No. 2 ballhandler Dexter Strickland to a season-ending knee injury in January. If Marshall can't go, the job would fall to freshman Stilman White and versatile senior Justin Watts.

Dennis Marshall said he and his wife planned to stay in a hotel to take care of Kendall - who is wearing a splint - on Monday night. He said the family and Williams would likely wait a couple of days before talking about the point guard's status for the regionals.

"I would just tell everybody not to get their hopes up and just pray and hope for the best," Dennis Marshall said. "That's about all we can do at this point."

Kendall Marshall's scheduled surgery was first reported by CBS.com late Sunday.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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How to fake a good night's sleep

(Health.com) -- No matter how dedicated you are to getting your shut-eye, sometimes a less-than-stellar night's sleep is inevitable. The good news: "One bad night's sleep isn't going to hurt you long term," says Joyce Walsleben, Ph.D., coauthor of "A Woman's Guide to Sleep."

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Xavier storms back on Lehigh

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) -- Xavier is making a habit of reaching the round of 16.

Senior center Kenny Frease scored a career-high 25 points to go with 12 rebounds, and the Musketeers knocked off upset-minded Lehigh 70-58 Sunday night to advance to the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in five years.

Xavier was ranked as high as eighth in the country earlier this season, but a midseason bench-clearing brawl that resulted in player suspensions seemed to turn the season on a sour note. They lost their edge and had to battle to make the tournament.

But they seem to have rekindled their momentum.

"We ultimately knew we had talent, but for whatever reason things just weren't clicking," Frease said. "We're coming together at the right time. It feels real good to get back to the Sweet 16."

Lehigh, which stunned No. 2 seed Duke on Friday, was looking to become the first 15 seed to make it to the tournament's second weekend.

But the 7-foot Frease stood in the way.

He dominated in the paint, hitting 11 of 13 shots, and Tu Holloway was his normal productive self with 21 points as 10th-seeded Xavier (22-12) moved on to play No. 3 seed Baylor on Friday in the South Regional at Atlanta.

"Lehigh is a very good team, but they're also small," said Xavier coach Chris Mack. "I'm sure they don't face the type of size that Kenny presents. We just wanted to be able to get the ball to Kenny, and fortunately he was able to finish."

Frease was quick to turn the praise to his teammates after what Mack called his best game as a Musketeer.

"My guards put me in great position," Frease said. "I wouldn't have been able to score if it wasn't for those guys putting me in good positions and finding me at the right time. It made my job pretty easy. All I had to do was turn and finish."

Lehigh center Gabe Knutson, who gave up three inches and 55 pounds to Frease, said he tried the best he could to defend Xavier's burly big man.

"I didn't do as good of a job as I could have defending him, but he's a tremendous player and he had a tremendous night," Knutson said.

Lehigh's shooting, on the other hand, wasn't so tremendous - particularly in the second half with two separate stretches in which the team didn't make a basket for more than 6 minutes.

The Mountain Hawks shot 5 of 34 (14.7 percent) from the field in the second half.

The Musketeers held C.J. McCollum, the nation's fifth-leading scorer, to 14 points on 5-of-22 shooting and overcame a 15-point first-half deficit. He came in averaging 21.9 points per game and scored 30 in the win over Duke.

"I just wasn't making shots," McCollum said. "I just missed some shots tonight, and offense is going to come and go. We still have to get stops on defense, and we didn't do that tonight."

Mackey McKnight had 20 points for Lehigh (27-7), which tied a Patriot League record for wins in a season.

The Musketeers won despite playing most of the game without their third-leading scorer, Dezmine Wells. He injured his right toe in the first half and did not return.

Mack said he will be reevaluated this week but is hopeful he can play against Baylor.

The Mountain Hawks started strong, opening a 35-20 lead behind 53 percent shooting and 14 first-half points from McKnight. But after McCollum picked up his second foul Xavier clawed back to cut the lead to 37-33 at halftime behind a 3-point buzzer-beater by Holloway.

The Mountain Hawks went more than 7 minutes without a field goal to start the second half - missing their first 10 shots from the field - and the Musketeers took advantage by going on a 14-3 spurt to take a 47-40 lead.

The Mountain Hawks fought back again, however, tying the game at 52. That's when Xavier took over for good, closing with an 18-6 run.

Holloway, who had to change his jersey number in the second half from 52 to 24 after getting blood on it, led the charge.

He hit a 3-pointer with 6:58 remaining to give the Musketeers a 55-52 lead they never relinquished.

He scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half. That came two nights after he scored 17 of his 25 after halftime in a win over Notre Dame.

Holloway said getting back to the round of 16 showed Xavier's resolve.

"Coach Mack was talking to us about how everyone's taking shots at us around the country," Holloway said. "After going through so much, we're still standing today in the last 16 teams. And it showed. It just shows the character."

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'Whisperer': Adopting the right dog

Atlanta (CNN) -- Cesar Millan has been showcasing his talents as "The Dog Whisperer" since 2004, teaching dog owners how to train their energetic and oftentimes misbehaving canines.

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