By Robert Moran — Inquirer Staff Writer 06/03/07

He was the counterfeit doctor, astronaut, CIA agent. But was he also the "Chemical Casanova"?

That's what one woman dubbed Jeffrey Marsalis during a call to a Philadelphia talk-radio show on WNJC-AM (1360).

Marsalis is accused of drugging and raping seven women he met through an online dating site from 2003 to 2005. His Philadelphia trial has drawn much attention because of the bizarre details that have emerged about his fraudulent life and his claims to all manner of exotic employment as lures for female attention.

Representatives from Oprah Winfrey's production company, People magazine, and Inside Edition have expressed interest in the trial, which is to resume Tuesday.

It would probably be featured on Court TV if not for Pennsylvania's prohibition on cameras in the courtroom.

What would-be viewers are missing is a parade of absurd and sometimes comical evidence of Marsalis' bogus occupations juxtaposed with emotionally wrenching testimony from the women who allege he raped them.

As disturbing as the rape allegations are, there is controversy about the behavior of the women, all seemingly bright young professionals who didn't hesitate to buy his most outlandish tales. Why was it they never quickly reported the rapes to police and sometimes met with him again after an alleged assault?

On WNJC, dozens of callers have weighed in on the case, and their opinions have split along gender lines, station owner John Forsythe said.

"This is a real polarizing trial for men and women," he said. "We can't find a guy to call in that doesn't think this guy should be acquitted. We can't find a woman to call in who doesn't think this guy should hang."

Some of the men believed that Marsalis, 34, had the women swooning with his tall tales, and that they willingly had sex with him. Many of the female callers were convinced that he is a predator, Forsythe said.

What's for certain is that he was an impostor.

OSA Editorial Comments:

What a great story, also go and check out all of our articles in the OSA sub-domain Predators. Also, you should go and get your copy of our ebook, “Don’t Take Candy From Strangers” do it now and receive a special discount!

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Beijing's Internet watchdog has accused 12 dating websites of being a cover for prostitution and has ordered them to clean up their act by next Friday.

"The outrageous pimping content in some websites is very shocking," said a statement of the Beijing Online News and Information Panel, an Internet watchdog made up by government officials, experts and representatives of netizens.

The 12 dating websites are loaded with detailed information on the sex trade, including "service items, pricing and contact information," said the statement.

Sexually-explicit information makes up more than 95 percent of the websites' content, according to the statement.

The panel has ordered a complete purge of such information from the websites by June 1.

One of the websites, which purports to be a lonely-hearts dating service, contained a posting supposedly from a young woman with a fair complex who describes herself as a "professional pleasure giver".

The website appears to have erased all postings prior to early Sunday morning. It contained only 11 postings under the link 'women seeking men' and none under 'men seeking women'. Read the Rest.

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Online dating can be a very fun and rewarding alternative to the irritating alcohol fueled singles scene of bars or clubs.  We've all heard of situations where singles, out for nothing more than socializing or maybe dancing with friends, were put in situations where they had to counter pushy advances from someone attracted to them.

While online dating typically provides a more relaxed setting for browsing and communicating with other singles there is still the likelihood that you may occasionally encounter someone that refuses to take no for an answer.  This may turn into what is referred to as cyberstalking.  Cyberstalking is commonly defined as unwanted contact or threats via email or instant messaging.  You can be the recipient of anything from rude to inappropriate emails to pornographic materials or even computer viruses.  Therefore there is a certain etiquette involved in rejecting an advance from an online dating site.  It can be a dangerous and costly adventure to rectify online harassment. With the ease of gaining personal information, such as addresses, phone numbers and employment information it is best to set up security blocks to help prevent harassment, just in case.

First, for safety reasons, it is advisable to stick with reputable online dating services that record information on paying members to their site and have resources available to report any kind of user harassment.  Many of these sites have specific membership rules requiring honest representation and prohibiting harassment or abusive behavior.  These sites are a $500 to $600 million-dollar industry and do not want negative press about credibility or safety issues associated with their service.  Keep away from online newspaper personals or sites like Craigslist.  Never use an at-home or work email address for your correspondence.  It's best to set up a free separate email account to use specifically for online dating.  The email account should have no trace of your real name as this may lead to people locating your home address or home telephone number from a public directory.

It is recommended that you refrain from being rude to individuals online as this can potentially encourage negative behavior on their part.  Be polite if you aren't interested in someone's advances or if you are put off from previous chats.  This isn't to say that you can't be stern when need be but keep in mind that some computer savvy people can trace Internet IP addresses.  Just because there may be miles between you and the other party doesn't mean that it is safe to be cruel, humiliate or anger someone from behind a computer.  If someone is interested in getting to know you but you aren't very much into his or her profile,
are not attracted to their photo or if they display behavior that you aren't particularly into, show some respect, thank them for their interest and keep correspondence polite and cordial.  Do not get confrontational.  You also have the option of ignoring their correspondence to quietly send the message that you just aren't interested.

It is possible that despite being friendly in correspondence or being unresponsive all together, some may still mistake this for playing hard to get.  People are sometimes delusional in this sense.  They will think you are playing games or teasing rather than accepting the fact that there is no interest on your end.  There are several steps that may have to be implemented if this is the case.  These include using the Block tool on your email and instant messaging service or alerting the online dating service of the harassment.

These are a few tips to help you avoid unwanted material, responses or contact with an individual with nothing better to do. You can also report them to the dating service to seek some piece of mind. There are several issues to consider when looking at online dangers. The convenience of the internet also lends itself to unfortunate dangers as well. It is nice to have limited contact with someone until you get to know them better, but this also means that you are not able to watch their movements, body language and maintain eye contact with them. The online dating community is very popular and dangers are few and far between, but it is always good to ensure that you are aware and understand that there are people out there that will try and scam you. Motives differ, maybe money, some for fun and others out of pure meanness or just to watch a person suffer at their evil hand.

One of the more tricky aspects of the Internet is that we are all capable of becoming something we aren't in real life.  Individuals can basically adopt any online persona they desire while typing from behind a keyboard.  It's not unusual for these personas to be somewhat fabricated.  People may shed off a few unwanted pounds or bump up their salary on their online dating profiles.  Maybe someone insecure about being either too old or too young will lie about his or her age.  Another very common scenario is that of someone married or in a committed relationship lying online about their status.

Most people respond very lax to protecting themselves from online dating experiences. They think that they are safe because they have been chatting with this person for several months. Do not make the mistake that because you have been chatting that you know them. People can say anything they want, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it is true or correct. There are many out there that will lie to make themselves sound better, avoid inconsistencies or hid a relationship. This can be problematic when people put their hearts on the line. It is devastating any time a relationship ends, but especially if the person feels that they have been scammed or lied to. If you decide to meet someone offline there are a few precautions that you will need to take. Be sure that you always meet them somewhere and take separate vehicles. Have a meeting time that is in public with others around. That way if there is a problem you can have others around you. Invest in a cell phone so that you can keep in touch with friends throughout the date. Always let someone know where you will be and a rough sketch of your date. That way if they can not find you or call you they will have a place to look. Following these few guidelines is always a good deal, whether online or offline dating. 

Most people join dating communities and never have a problem with dishonesty. Online dangers become a problem when people let their guard down and others think they are weak. If you keep boundaries and never let anyone push you into giving information, meeting or other issues they will know that they can not take advantage of you. To be on the safe side, keep your ears open and your mind open before you become too involved with someone. Being cautious is the best way not get taken for a ride!

About the author: Lee Blackspur is the owner of http://www.my-dating-advice.com/ a website that offers all sorts of free online and offline dating tips and advice for men, women and teens of all ages and experience.

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Copyright © 2007 Diana Mercer

Between news coverage, soap operas and family drama, everyone has preconceived notions about premarital agreements and prenuptial agreements. Here are a few of the most common myths, debunked:

Myth 1: Prenuptial agreements are only for wealthy people, my fiancé and I are not rich and so we don't need an agreement.

You may not be rich, but you definitely want to have a successful marriage. Honest discussions regarding how the two of you will approach finances will ensure that there won't be any surprises once you are married. Talking about financial issues in advance insures that you handle money with minimal conflict during your marriage as well as in case of divorce.

Example: You may become rich in the future. Your education, ideas and talents may one day become more valuable than they are today. You need to think about how you'd handle the division of a business, inheritance, patent, book, song, or copyright in the event of a divorce. Read the rest of the story; 5 Myths!

OSA Editorial Comments:

WOW, What a great article! We need to help everyone understand the 5 Myths and how it will affect their lives…

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Older adults are active, but also unaware of risks

Lee Bowman, Scripps Howard News Service
Sunday, February 11, 2007

At a growing number of nursing homes and assisted living centers, staff have arranged for one or more rooms to be set aside for senior couples to enjoy some intimate time.

In some neighborhoods, prostitutes know that one of their busier times of the month will be the first few days after Social Security checks arrive.

Across the country, people 50 and older make up the fastest-growing sector of online dating services. Around senior communities, older men who still drive and maybe dance seldom have to look for companionship.

Not everyone is canoodling, to be sure, but sexuality in midlife and beyond is increasingly a fact of older American life. A 2003 AARP survey of nearly 3,000 people 45 and older found that a third of all respondents, and 70 percent of those with regular sexual partners (and two-thirds said they had a spouse or partner), reported having sex at least once or twice a month, although frequency did decline with age.

"Sex is a part of life. People are sexual from the time they're born until they die. People can be orgasmic into their 90s," said Sallie Foley, a sex therapist who works with seniors at the University of Michigan's Sexual Health Counseling Services in Ann Arbor, and writes a regular column on love and sexuality for AARP's magazine.

But there's a dangerous downside to sex in the golden years. Many sexually active seniors don't realize they may be at risk for sexually transmitted diseases, and even more may not know how to protect themselves.

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Bill Wardell