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Musings, observations and the occasional insight as we absorb an unforgettable, and in some cases unfathomable, Week 6 in the NFL.....

• Well, well, well, maybe all isn't lost in Philadelphia after all. That was your basic season-saving win for the Eagles at Washington Sunday -- at least for now -- and the 20-13 outcome went a long way toward restoring a bit of order in the NFC East, where all four teams remain bunched within two games of each other top to bottom.

You can't overestimate how much Philadelphia desperately needed that one. For the embattled Eagles, it was the difference between being 1-5 and trailing 4-1 Washington by a fat 3.5 games, or riding into their bye week with a bit of momentum at 2-4, just two games behind the now first-place Giants (4-2).

A loss to the Redskins, which would have been Philadelphia's fifth straight, and the Eagles' downward spiral might never have been broken. The vultures would have continued to circle over Andy Reid's head, and the next two weeks would have been used to write his coaching obituary in the city he has toiled in for 13 years now.

But don't drop that hammer just yet, because Reid and his underachieving Eagles aren't finished. Far from it. Not only did Philadelphia stop the bleeding with its first win since opening day in St. Louis, but also the Eagles might just be about to get healthy again. After the bye comes a three-game home stand, the kind that has the potential to turn a once-lost season all the way around.

Philadelphia will face Dallas (2-3), Chicago (2-3) and Arizona (1-4) in Weeks 8-9-10, with another home game, against New England, looming in Week 12. That's four of their next five games coming at home, and the Eagles can at least enter that stretch coming off their first division win since pulling off that miraculous comeback at New Meadowlands Stadium last December. Take at least three of those four at home and the "Dream Team'' can legitimately fantasize about salvaging the mess-in-the-making that 2011 appeared to be as Week 6 opened.

Maybe all Michael Vick and Co. needed was to play in Washington again, where the Eagles have won 10 out of their past 12 games. Remember, FedEx Field was the site of Vick's tour de force performance a year ago on that Monday night in Week 10 -- when he ascended back to superstar status by accounting for six touchdowns in Philadelphia's jaw-dropping 59-28 win. Vick didn't need to do anything nearly that astounding this time, but he came through with a very solid 18 of 31 passing day, for 237 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also picked up some key yards with his feet, supplementing a strong LeSean McCoy-led Eagles rushing game with 54 yards on seven carries.

Besides Vick, Philadelphia got strong games from several of its glitziest playmakers on offense (McCoy ran for 126 yards and a touchdown; receiver Jeremy Maclin had five catches for 101 yards), and the vilified Eagles defense held Washington to just 287 total yards, 42 yards rushing, 1 of 10 on third downs, and intercepted Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman four times. Free safety Kurt Coleman, just re-inserted in the lineup on Sunday, had three of those picks, leading the defensive charge. That ought to help new Eagles defensive coordinator Juan Castillo sleep a little better for the next two weeks.

So now there's suddenly a little hope in Philly. The Eagles didn't blow a 20-3 halftime lead this time -- like they did two weeks ago at home against the 49ers -- and they didn't sink to new depths with another fourth-quarter meltdown. They won in tough and impressive fashion, and at least for this week started resembling the talented team almost everyone favored to win the NFC East. We should have all seen this one coming against the Redskins, because the Eagles roster is simply too good and too deep to look that bad for weeks on end.

As bad as 2011 has been in Philadelphia, a turnaround was bound to happen sooner or later. The Eagles just hope it came soon enough to matter. A season that appeared to be in peril is not over yet. The Eagles are breathing again, and the race in the NFC East is still a four-team affair.

• What a bizarre and out-of-control post-game scene that was in Detroit, with Lions head coach Jim Schwartz and 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh making Harbaugh and Pete Carroll's little collegiate midfield exchange of a few years back seem almost quaint by comparison.

Settle down, gentlemen. Both of you. Without knowing exactly what Harbaugh said to his fellow intense and tightly-wound head coach as they shook hands, it certainly looked like Schwartz overreacted in the heat of an emotional moment, after a difficult and last-minute defeat. Both Harbaugh and Schwartz have turnaround teams that are going places, and they've done great work in instilling some much-needed fire and dedication into their organizations. But you can go overboard and lose perspective on game days, and that looks to be the case here at first glance. Who knows, maybe Harbaugh asked Schwartz: "What's your deal?''

Somewhat sadly, the postgame coaches' handshake has become a must-see event after NFL games in recent years, and that's not a good development. But something set Schwartz off, and I have a feeling he's going to be lighter in the wallet because of it. Look for the NFL to dip into his paycheck in reaction to his overreaction. As for Harbaugh, Captain Intensity, lighten up on the handshake, Jimbo. When you win, try to act like you've been there before, because you have.

As for the 49ers' upset of the Lions, not the Schwartz being upset at Harbaugh undercard, the Lions finally paid the price for once again trailing at halftime. This was the fourth consecutive game that Detroit faced a deficit at intermission, and you can't get away with that particular routine forever. The Lions beat the Vikings, Cowboys and Bears despite trailing at halftime, but another slow start and being down 12-10 to San Francisco after two quarters contributed to Detroit's first loss of the season.

The Lions are still in great shape at 5-1, but they clearly haven't arrived to the point where they can bank on digging out of a halftime hole each and every week. Detroit was just reminded that it's a 60-minute game, and you've got to play start to finish.

• But give it up for the 49ers, who haven't been 5-1 since 1998, when Steve Young was still throwing passes to Jerry Rice. San Francisco made a ton of mistakes in Detroit -- committing 15 penalties for a whopping 120 yards -- but still found a way to take another huge step in its renaissance season under Harbaugh. The 49ers practiced with 7-foot loudspeakers around their field last week to try to prepare for Ford Field's din, but it really didn't help, because they committed three first-quarter false starts.

One of the real stars of San Francisco's winning effort was running back Frank Gore, who had a remarkable 121 yards after just six carries on Sunday, and finished with a season-best 141 yards and a touchdown on 15 attempts. Gore had a 55-yard run, and another 46-yard gain, setting up his 1-yard scoring run. After a slow start to his season, Gore is looking like one of the NFL's best running backs once again.

Editor's note: Brenna Ehrlich and Andrea Bartz are the sarcastic brains behind humor blog and book "Stuff Hipsters Hate." When they're not trolling Brooklyn for new material, Ehrlich works as a senior writer at MTV, and Bartz is a news editor at Psychology Today. Got a question about etiquette in the digital world? Contact them at netiquette@cnn.com.

(CNN) -- Last week, we penned a public service announcement demonstrating a few of the ways you can guarantee a nonresponse in an initial online dating message, no matter the quality of your profile or personality.

While we received a fair amount of gratitude (mostly from online daters tired of finding such hapless missives in their inboxes), we also received many a request for tips on what to write in a successful first note. (One humanity-loving reader also took the time to inform us he suspects we are "two former high school cheerleaders who now have an inferiority complex," a flattering if inaccurate assumption that we were once capable of killer herkies and immense pep.)

While it's infinitely more fun to tell you what not to do than it is to give you helpful pointers (hey, the Ten Commandments weren't written in the negative for nothin'), this week we're heeding your call.

Before we proceed with the advice-shilling, though, a big disclaimer looms. Even if you write an excellent first letter, there is no guarantee that the recipient will write you back. If there were a magic formula, some genius would have cracked it by now.

Every online dater has had the experience of reading an impossibly sweet, heart-bursting message and thinking, "Oh, sigh, I wish we could use this site to arrange dates for our friends or make new totally platonic acquaintances, because the sender of this message is clearly a lovely person. Alas. [hits delete]."

This is simply part of the numbers game that is dating (online and in real life), and it's the reason online courtship is not for those with rickety self-esteem and hair-trigger rejection sensitivity. Because most of your messages will go unanswered, doesn't mean there's anything wrong about you. (Certainly you're brimming with foibles, but your intended date doesn't necessarily know that yet.)

(Mashable) -- Facebook intends to launch its long-rumored music service next month with Spotify, MOG and Rdio as three of the company's launch partners, Mashable has learned.

The music and media platform will be announced at Facebook's f8 developer conference on September 22. It will allow users to listen to music from within Facebook.com. Evidence of Facebook's music platform first surfaced in the code of Facebook's video chat service.

According to two sources familiar with the matter, Facebook will not directly host or stream any music or media. Instead, it will rely on partners to provide the content. This is in contrast to Apple, Google and Amazon's strategy of hosting music content on their servers. Facebook's plan is to become a platform for media content in the same way it is a platform for applications and games.

One of our sources specifically mentioned three music services as launch partners: Spotify, Rdio and MOG. It's unclear whether Facebook has lined up other launch partners for its music platform or whether Facebook will open up its platform to other developers. One of our sources noted, however, that Facebook doesn't like playing favorites, so our bet is that Facebook will open up its music platform to other third-party developers.

Beijing, China (CNN) – About 60 million people today in China will no longer have to pay income taxes. Beijing raised the minimum levels for taxation, reflecting the growing paychecks – and prices - for average Chinese.

Rather than rejoice, Chinese netizens are howling about new tax regulations that impact couples seeking to marry. More galling is a new interpretation of tax law that says employees must now pay taxes on gifts of seasonal cakes – popular boxes of “mooncakes” traditionally given out for China’s mid-Autumn Festival in September – from their employers.

China raised the minimum income-tax threshold to 3500 yuan (USD 541) after pension, insurance and housing costs are deducted. The minimum taxable income was 2,000 yuan (USD 307). The move is aimed to help lower income families and boost consumption.

But latest version of China’s Marriage Law, which took effect Aug. 13, stirred much controversy across the nation as many complain the new law favors men over women.

According to interpretations of the previous law, property was divided down the middle in divorce cases. Now the new law says property belongs only to the person whose name is on the deed, often the husband – so many Chinese women now fear they’ll lose everything if their name isn’t on the deed.

(FT) -- A Chinese tycoon plans to buy a vast tract of Icelandic land for a $100m tourism project which critics fear could give Beijing a strategic foothold in the North Atlantic.

Huang Nubo, a real estate investor and former Chinese government official, has struck a provisional deal to acquire 300 square kilometres of wilderness in north-east Iceland where he plans to build an eco-tourism resort and golf course.

Opponents have questioned why such a large amount of land -- equal to about 0.3 per cent of Iceland's total area -- is needed to build a hotel. They warned that the project could provide cover for China's geopolitical interests in the Atlantic island nation and Nato member.

While home to just 320,000 people, Iceland occupies a strategically important location between Europe and North America and has been touted as a potential hub for Asian cargo should climate change open Arctic waters to shipping.

The deal has been agreed with private landowners but must still be approved by the Icelandic government, which owns part of the land, which is known as Grímsstadir á Fjöllum.

Ögmundur Jónasson, the Icelandic interior minister, who would be responsible for the decision, signalled concern over the plan. "China has been very active in buying up land around the world so we need to be aware of the international ramifications," he told the Financial Times.

(CNN) -- A Nigerian militant group has claimed responsibility after a car loaded with explosives rammed into the United Nations' building in the capital, killing 23, a government spokesman said Monday.

The suicide attack Friday shattered windows, set the building ablaze and left gaping holes on the walls.

Radical Muslim sect Boko Haram, which aims to enforce a strict version of Sharia law, has claimed responsibility, said Reuben Abati, the government spokesman.

Eighty-one people were injured, he said.

The attack targeted a building that housed 26 U.N. humanitarian and development agencies, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said last week. The Liberian and U.S. embassies are also nearby. "This was an assault on those who devote their lives to helping others," Ban said.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan described the suicide bombing as "barbaric, senseless and cowardly" and intensified security around the capital.

The capital of Abuja has experienced a series of bombings in recent months.

(CNN) -- Whether seen through a flurry of snow, or against a bright blue summer sky, Moscow's architectural landscape is awe-inspiring.

From the onion-shaped domes of St. Basil's Cathedral to the grand facade of the Great Kremlin Palace, through to the Soviet-era towers of the Seven Sisters buildings, the vista is rich with history.

For culture lovers, Moscow boasts world-class museums displaying precious religious icons and Modernist treasures, stunning ballet productions at the world-famous Bolshoi Theater and elegant classical concerts at the Conservatory.

CNN World's Treasures selects some of the city's main heritage spots, from museums to hotels, restaurants and cafes, that will make visitors feel as if they have entered the worlds of Leo Tolstoy or Alexander Pushkin.

SEE: Any trip to Moscow should begin with a trip to Red Square, the heart of the historic center of the city, which contains such contrasting monuments as the 16th-century St. Basil's Cathedral, Vladimir Lenin's mausoleum, the 19th-century Great Kremlin palace and the plush, modern arcades of the GUM shopping center.

St. Basil's Cathedral was built from 1555-1561 by Grand Prince Ivan the Terrible. True to his name, Ivan ordered its architect to be blinded on completion to prevent him from replicating the structure -- or so the legend goes.
Moscow's vista is rich with almost 900 years of history

The cathedral features nine domed chapels decorated in a kaleidoscope of colors and patterns, opulent galleries within, and the casket of "holy fool" St. Basil, after which it is named.

Take a stroll in the elegant Alexander Gardens before gazing at the majestic Great Kremlin Palace, once the Moscow residence of the Tsars.

Unfortunately closed to tourists, its impressive building is a feast for the eyes but if you feel short-changed, head to the State Historical Museum, where you can gorge on its dazzling displays of imperial royal wealth, including jewelry and Faberge eggs.

For great works of art, take the metro to the State Tretyakov Gallery, where you can trace the progress of Russian fine art, from 12th century gold leaf icons, through 18th and 19th century oil paintings, and on to the modernist masterpieces of Wassily Kandinsky and Kazimir Malevich.

Also worth visiting is the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, whose galleries feature antiquities from Egypt, Greece and Rome, as well as later European paintings and statues.

GETTING AROUND: Be sure to take a trip on the city's metro system, a subterranean tourist destination in its own right, and enjoy its palatial stations boasting stained glass windows, mosaics and bronze fittings.

In springtime, when the snow melts, stroll around the city's cobbled streets, parks and squares, or take a tour of the grounds of the Moscow aristocracy's ornamental suburban estates, such as Izmailovsky Park, where Peter the Great spent much of his childhood, or Kuskovo Park and Estate.