mrdee

I did one thing which seems to have made a difference:I upgraded to the latest version of Xlinesoft's PHPRunner (version 5.3) and that made a lot of the errors disappear.I was stil working with version 5.1, which already goes back a while, and with having the latest version of WAMP and EasyPHP, I assume the PHP version they use was more recent than the one PHPRunner could handle.Although I must say there are weird things going on with me sometimes, depending which machine I work on:I have a PC and a laptop, both running the same OS (Windows 7 Ultimate) and both OS'es equally updated with the latest patches.I have often noticed that, when I do something on my PC, it works, when I do exactly the same on my laptop, it does not work, or vice versa.So, I guess that's something from my past haunting me or something, no idea, but that is the way it seems to be.But upgrading PHPRunner seems to have made a difference.

Yes, there is probably something that needs re-installing, because my browser is ready to run Javascript, and I did exactly the same on my PC (what I just explained, I did on my laptop) and there it works 100%. However,it might work fine, and I may be able to write articles and lay out my pages properly, the integration into my existing page seems to be a big no-no. I tried to follow the instructions on the link I was given, regarding integration of a Wordpress page in my existing page, so I copied the news page of my existing website, left the left table (with the menu) intact, and cleared the right frame, except for the table tags. Then, according to the instructions, in the table on the right, I copied the following: <?php /* Short and sweet */define('WP_USE_THEMES', false);require('http://127.0.0.1:8888/wordpress/ndl/wordpress/wp-blog-header.php');?> A little explanation: the "http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/" bit is because I run Worpdpress locally at the moment (via EasyPHP), and the rest of the line is because, according to the instructions, I made a second folder into the wordpress folder, where the Dutch version of my Worpress resides. The folder is called "ndl", and inside is the full Wordpress structure again, but then with Wordpress 3.1 in Dutch. It looks like both languages work. Anyway, I called this file 'index.htm' and put it in the root directory of the local site first, where I was greeted with either a blank page where the code was to appear, or, in the beginning, I saw printed on the screen, the final part of the snippet, but I managed to get rid of that. I then also moved the page to the root directory of the Dutch Wordpress, also called 'index.htm', but the result was the same, a blank page in the right hand half of the page. I also tried two more snippets that were recommended by the tutorial site, one that was supposed to show all the posts, and one that was supposed to show a certain number of posts: <?phprequire('http://127.0.0.1:8888/wordpress/ndl/wordpress/wp-blog-header.php');?> and <?php$posts = get_posts('numberposts=10&order=ASC&orderby=post_title');foreach ($posts as $post) : start_wp(); ?><?php the_date(); echo "<br />"; ?><?php the_title(); ?> <?php the_excerpt(); ?> <?phpendforeach;?> The result? Well, every one of those, pretty much showed me the same: an empty right half of the page staring me in the face. The experts among you (or certainly more advanced people) will probably see that I am being very clumsy here, but I have tried all sorts of possibilities, and at least one thing is very consistent: the result is the same every time. So, with what I have tried to describe here as accurately as i could, has anyone seen yet where I am going wrong? Thanks for all the help so far (although I seem to end up getting grey hair). Alos, at the risk of repeating myself: the reason why I am trying out Wordpress locally on my machine at the moment is because I do not want to run the risk of doing some irrepairable/very deifficult to repair damage to my existing website.

Thank you again for that, Baniboy.First of all, it is indeed only the news page (or rather, both, the English and Dutch one) that I want to work on Wordpress.They also get updated regularly (at some times even daily, or more than once a day, depending on the importance of the current news).I will also have alook at the tutorial you posted and see what i can come up with.About my editing problem in Wordpress: the funny thing is (forgot to mention that) that the "Visual" and "HTML" tabs do not react to mouse clicks at all.Also, the "Help" button and the "Screen Settings" button (this name might be wrong here, but it is something similar), at the top right of the page do not yield any reaction whatsoever to mouse clicks, I can't test a "live" Wordpress version at the moment, so I am not sure whether it is a bug, or whether it has something to do with the fact that I am running Wordpress locally (with Apache and WAMP, etc.), maybe time will tell.I have also tried to copy and paste HTML from my existing page into the edit box, and that gives me a "This post can not be found" error when doing a preview.Oh, by the way, I am using the latest version (3.1) of Wordpress.Nevertheless, thank you so much for your continuous input.

OK, gentlemen,thank you for the replies.And, Baniboy, the solution looks difficult (I'll come back to that in a minute), but the first thing I noticed, and something that bugs me is when you say: "Also, you shouldn't use tables for your layout.".You are probably right, but could you say what the problem with tables is, and also: what else was I supposed to do then?I wanted the menu to appear on the left hand side of the page, and I also wanted it to stay in its proper place, that is why I used tables.In the old days, I would have used frames, but apparently, they are practically completely obsolete.Now, for your other advice:It does look quite complicated and long-winded, but my site uses predominantly HTML, I only use PHP for special features, such as my greeting cards, or forms that appear on my pages, however, the link you included will be of help to me if i go through it step by step.I have also installed 2 copies of Wordpress locally to do some practice (it does not matter then if I mess something up).By the way, the two copies are (as far as I could make out from Wordpress support) becaus my site is bilingual, so I installed a Dutch and an English copy.By the way, I have a funny experience when trying to add a new post: The title field is fine, a cursor flashes in it and I can just type my title in. However, in the main body of the post, everything I type is invisible, all I can see is some red underlining.I can only see what I have typed by highlighting, I have looked for a setting to change the text colour, but with no luck.Is it a bug, or would it have something to do with the fact I am running it locally?I certainly cannot find anything in Wordpress support.Anyway, I shall follow your advice, and the advice on the page you referred me to step by step and see where I end up.Once again, thank you, everyone, for all the good advice.

Maybe to clarify a bit further:My website looks similar on all pages, I have just made 2 tables, one on the left, where the menu appears, and one on the right, where the main page (as chosen in the menu) appears.in the main table,I want to keep it like that, only, for my news pages (Dutch and English), I just want the layout left intact, except that, in the main table, I want the articles to appear as Wordpress blog posts, rather than just separate tables with text and pictures in it.I have made a screenshot to show what it looks like at the moment, sorry there is only one bit of a table visible in the main section (on the right), but it concerns a very long article here, but, anyway, anythig that appears below is just the same, ie. a table, with the date top left, the title of the article under neath, and then the main text of the article.The main reason why I am posting this here is because the Wordpress support is not always very clear to search, and the explanations are sometimes difficult to understand, and also, because the forums are not always very helpful neither.Anyway, here is a screenshot of my news page:Hope that makes things a bit easier to understand.

I was using EasyPHP and I had made an application to show, edit and process data in a MySQL table.I used Xlinesoft's PHPRunner for that.However, when I executed the login page of that setup, I was greeted with loads of errors, all sounding the same, and, as far as I can see, only concerning two different PHP functions: the function set_magic_quotes_runtime() and the function split().Underneath are the first 2 errors I get after logging in:Then, after that, repeated 26 times, is an error message, which looks exactly the same to me at every repeat:And at the bottom of the page I get a table summing up the error:I also get a similar looking, but slightly different error prior to logging in, but underneath, the login screen appears and allows me to log in, but then sends me to the page full of errors:I then tried the same thing, this time using WAMP, but it lead to the same results.I was wondering if that has something to do with certain functions not being switched on in PHP.I seem to remember from the days when I was young this had something to do with un-commenting certain lines in the PHP setup, but I have forgotten the finer details.If anyone could give me some help and guidance here, I'd be extremely grateful.

Well, I did not exactly say you have to be crazy to attempt suicide. It is also difficult not to take the practical issues into account, as (as far as I recall anyway) I have never known anyone to commit suicide for no reason (which could be anything from constant bad luck, a lost love, bankruptcy to more underlying mental problems or trauma or depresiion), these things do not necessarily indicate the person in question is crazy. However, to come back to your example of the 14-year old: should that person be forced to take medication: i can be very clear her: in the beginning, certainly NO, and also, they usually wil not do that initially, they will give the person counselling and guidance, sessions with a psychologist or psychiatrist or both to try and find out what exactly that underlying problem is. Obviously, with the child being a minor, the parents/guardians will also be invoilved in the whole process, and, should the medical/psychological staff find there are certain conditions which need a drug related therapy, then they will obviously consult with the parents/guardian. However, not al mental conditions or problems are treatable with drugs. I will not go into details here (maybe I will later, if the further development of the thread warrants it, but, as a parent, I have faced a similar situation twice and it is really not as black and white as it all seems because there are so many different circumstances and reasons why people think they should take their own lives, and all cases are completely different. Forgive me for not being clearer in my explanation at this time, but I assume there are many other people who do not really feel like smearing a whole part of their private life all over a forum. But, believe me, as a parent of two children, now almost 23 and 21, and after the things I have experienced, I think that I, at least to some extent, know what I am talking about. Anyway, I will see how this discussion evolves, and in case it would merit the discussion, I might explain things much clearer.

That is exactly what I mean, Kobra500.I am in my 4th year here now (I have been here since 2007), and in the beginning, if you had a problem and needed help, this was the place to be.And, while there are stil some competent people here, people who:a) Know what they're doing and know what they're talking aboutB) People who are still willing to help others,(After all, I sometimes get some really useful answers to things that I post, but always from the same 3 or 4 people).I remember the times, when I posted something, I practically had to ignore some posts (do not take this literally, please ), because I kept getting one reply after another, and all useful replies by competent and helpful people.Something that NEVRE used to happen in the past was something that has happened to me 3 or 4 times in the past few months: posts that remained unanswered.THAT is frustrating, like I said, in the past, contrary to now, where there are only a handful left, this place used to crawl with people who were all specialised in one thing or another.These days, instead of even getting a stupid or irrelevant reply to a post, you get no reply at all, this would NEVER have happened in the Xisto days.Even if someone was not sure how to help you with a problem, they always put you into the right direction by posting a link to a place (or another thread) where you could find the assistance you were looking for.I must say, it gets really frustrating at times, because, as the name implies, the first thing I use this place for (apart from gathering credits) is to gather knowledge and learn about new things, and get help with certain problems I might have.If we could only turn the clock back a year or two or so.

I have set up my wordpress and want to get it into my existing webpages instead of the manually edited articles I currently use. However, as I already have my site laid out, I don't want to embed the entire wordpress page. I only want to include the articles, but keep the formatting which I had set up in wordpress. I tried to follow this guide but it just resulted in plain text appearing in the page, which isn't what I want. If anyone could help me out here, that would be brilliant.

It is nice to read various opinions on the different kinds of schooling, and they seem to be very varied too.However, I would like to add my own opinion to it too, but not before I have said that my opinions go about Public and Private education in the UK, where I work as a teacher, and I have worked in both kinds of schools.I will not say much about Home Schooling, since I do not have a lot of experience in that field, but, I think it should definitely have its merits, as one-to-one tuition allows you to give your undivided time and attention to one pupil only.Now, for the matter of public versus private schools:(I may be a bit biased, because, I might have chosen the wrong private school to work in, however, I will try to take away that bias with some examples).a) Discipline:It is a fact that (in this country anyway) discipline of pupils has gone down a lot, compared to the days that I went to school (and, I admit, I was no angel ), mainly because education has been 'politicised' too much (ie, politicians have (once again) interfered in something they know nothing or very little about, and now we see the results), and of course, b implementing all that 'political correct' idiocy, and giving the pupils certain 'way over the top' rights, which will be difficult to take away from them now.I remember, when I came home from school with a punishment, I got another one on top of it from my parents, nowadays, you punish a pupil (even while you are totally within your rights), and by the day the school days end, the parents are in the principal's office to complain.Now, that happens in public schools, but, the private school where I was working worked on the following principles: the first thing that mattered was money, then came how things looked, and finally, there was education.As for discipline: there were quite a few pupils there (not all of them, thank goodness, some parents still know the difference between right and wrong) who were the typical 'rich man's kids', the kind that, being 8 or 9 years old, changed ?20 notes when buying a sandwich at lunch time, and having had the typical upbringing that many rich people tend to give, ie. "You've got money, so you are so much better than everyone else", or "You've got money, so you are untouchable and can get away with whatever you like". (Like I said, there were exceptions to that too, but lots of kids were from snobby parents and they were not much better).Now, as for the school itself: you had indeed to be very careful (being a teacher) when you punished children, as one of the principles of that school seemed to be (see what I said about the three main principles earlier) that, because the parents put a lot of money on the table every month, you had to let the children get away with murder.This is of course not the only example (in case you think I am tarring everyone with the same brush), because, a private student of mine was working at a cinema at weekends to pay for her studies, and she told me, on Saturday afternoons, the students from a "very reputable" private school (costing about ?20,000 a year per child of yours that studies there) and where the children of the Royals used to study too, used to come to the cinema in group on Saturdays (ie. the children of "very" rich people), now, according to my student, a herd of pigs were bvetter behaved than them.Then about education: first of all, I must admit that education in the UK (mostly in England) is atrocious, I honestly have not seen a worse educated lot in the whole of Europe than the English.If you want some examples, name me one civilised Western European country where the majority of people only speak one language (and don't come with the usual thing "Yes, but they speak English, which is the number one language in the world, as that is ENTIRELY beside the point), I have also worked at Grammar schools, where the majority of pupils could not even spell properly, so, in comprehensive schools, things are even worse, I have even seen teachers who cannot spell properly.Anyway, in private schools, the classes are usually somewhat smaller in size, so, the individual students can get a bit more attention by the teacher, but that is a minimal comparison.Also, for teaching in a private school here, you don't even have to have any formal qualifications, so, if the management of the school want to employ an unqualified friend, they are completely entitled to do so.Someone wrote earlier that teachers get paid a bit better in private schools, well, here it is just the opposite, in spite of all the money a private school makes, you get paid less than in a mainstream school.And, to come back to the education, the results I have seen in that private school were not one bit better than they are at mainstream schools.The principal's son even went on to that 'high-class' private school that I mentioned earlier, not even able to spell properly to save his life.Now, my conclusion: Even if I could afford to send my children private (which I can't, and my children have left secondary education for some time now, anyway), I would NEVER send my children to a private school.It might look good on a CV that you went to a school with a flashy uniform and a posh Latin motto, but I REALLY fail to see where private education (except for the fact that it is a lot more expensive) from mainstream education (and even there you still have to try and be selective, as one mainstream school can be a lot better/worse than another.So, certainly no private schooling for me, but let me re-iterate, I am speaking about private schooling in England and about some personal experiences from some of them.

Although I have left school for a while now, there is nothing wrong with digging up some memories:Never was much of a figure head, so, maths are off the list a bit for me.But then, it appears, someone who is not that great at maths is usually quite competent in languages, and the other way round.Well, apart from languages (we had to learn 4 at school, including our mother tongue, of course, I then went on to learn one more, proved useful to me, because I have done a lot of travelling for work, and worked all over Western Europe), but even now, I still like learning languages, for the filipinos on here, I am in the process of learning some Cebuano (Visaya, if you like).I have always been one for studying and learning further skills (went back to university when I was 42 to do my PGCE), and, although, when I went to secondary school, and even while in Higher Education, the most sophisticated thing we knew was a pocket calculator (tells you a bit about my age ), I only bought my first computer in 1986 (a Commodore 64), but I am deeply interested in ICT, trying to learn PHP/MySQL at the moment, learned a lot about web design, and, back in the 80s, of course, the native language of the Commodore: BASIC.I have also learned a lot about networking, and my whole sound and studio setup is based upon a PC.Because, this I almost ommitted (the most important), the subject that has really ruled my life was music.Although we did not learn about music that much in secondary school, I went to private music lessons and also studied at music school after normal school hours.So, that went on and on, until I started my degree in music, and then, like I said, later my PGCE, and it was as a musician that I did all the travelling, while nowadays I have gone more into the field of music education, hoping I can make it a favourite subject for many young people.

Certainly an interesting question. However, if someone does commit suicide while it is illegal, what are they going to do? Give him the death penalty? Seriously now, since it is not illegal as such at the moment, what they usually do to someone who had a failed suicide attempt is put him/her in hospital for observation (not talking about treatment for the wounds or illnesses caused by the attempt, talking mentally) and, if deemed necessary, they section the patient. The reason why they do this is because it is usually assumed that suicide ( or suicide attempts) usually happen during a time of depression, instability, trauma, ie. all situations where the patient finds him/herself in a situation there is no way out. The reason why they give the patient that treatment is not only to help that patient, but also to protect him/her against him/herself. So, this is obviously a clear signal they are trying to prevent people from committing suicide. However, to try and find a rational answer to your first question: There might be a number of theoretical answers to the question, for example: There is psychological evidence that someone who commits suicide has that sense of regret at the last second (usually when it is too late), so that seems to point in the direction that someone who commits suicide really does do him/herself harm rather than solving a or a set of problems. Another thing could be, someone who has young children, and leaves these children behind as orphans, cannot really (and I am being very careful with what I say here, as the circumstances of suicide sometimes shed a whole different light over the matter) really be called a responsible person or a loving parent. Also, that person causes trouble for a lot of people, people such as social workers, having to organise temporary placement for the children, check with relatives, open a whole complex file on the children etc. Trouble also for the tax payer, who has to fork out (no matter how little it is) for what is being done for the children. Trouble for other relatives, who are sometimes (temporarily) put in charge of the children, or, just the opposite, who, because of their love for the children, want to help them and end up with a broken heart when the children are taken away from them by social services because they feel they have a 'more appropriate place' for them. So, I would say there are certain reasons which night make suicide look illegal. And, maybe the most appropriate one: the law forbids killing, when you commit suicide, you are killing/trying to kill a person, whether that is yourself is not really relevant here. First of all: I must say the question is not 100% clear to me, the question goes: This question could be interpreted two ways: a) If suicide is allowed, should it be controlled by law? Should the law say whether or not suicide is allowed? I have the impression that the first interpretation of the question does not make a lot of sense, how would the law control how you do it, how many times you attempt it, what to do if you do not succeed? In case of interpretation #2, this brings us back pretty much to question number 1: In which case I would really have to start from the beginning, making it a sort of endless loop. However, I am sure I have not said the last word about the subject yet, there might me many more things I have to answer in our fellow Knowledgesutraists. But, try to make your second question a bit clearer if you can.

OK then,Mamma Mia!!!!There is a lot to take in here, but, nothing but useful advice.(And I am ever so grateful for it).However, Baniboy, you do have a point, if I always look for things that are pre-installed and never try to configure anything myself, I am not really going to learn much.Although it is, in reality, PHP programming I want to learn, I, by no means, turn my nose up for server configurations and system management work and things like that, it interests me all, really.(A pity there are only 24 hours in one day, though). I will try to have a look at both WAMP and XXAMP in a bit more detail (hadn't tried XXAMP yet, contrary to WAMP) and compare them regarding ease of use, features and the likes.The only thing that scares me is when I do something wrong somewhere I might mess something up in my PC, which is something I want to avoid at all cost. (After nearly 25 years of marriage, a man obviously wants to limit his headaches to a minimum, your time will come too, Baniboy ).But, anyway, having said all that, although it is mainly the study of PHP/MySQL I want to get a grip off, I am certainly interested in all the rest that was mentioned here, too.So, I shall give it all a go.Thank you, folks, and DO expect more questions from me.

OK, great stuff, everyone.First of all, I am very grateful for all the useful and expert advice I am getting here.Now, one further point (about any of those programs, really: WAMP, XXAMP or EasyPHP):I know it was possible with WAMP, but that is where the dreaded configuration came in again, and, to be quite honest, the support for that program is not always very clear, but, my question is, really:is it possible to run the same set of files (I mean, the same localhost, the same "www" or "htdocs" folder) over a network, or do you have to install the program(s) on every machine on the network?The reason why I am asking is: I usually install programs on my PC, but sometimes it would be handy to be able to do some of my practice, when I am somewhere else in the house, on my laptop.In that case I think it would be good if I can just (and that seemed to work in WAMP, but not other things) see the Intranet website on LOCALHOST/whatever/ on my laptop, and also get to the files, open PHPMyAdmin, get into MySQL etc. (that was the real headache while using WAMP, as I said, I could see the website on localhost, but was unable to reach the files (I could after I shared the folder, but that was about it), I could not get into PHPMyAdmin, I could not send any queries or look at any of the databases through MySQL, which is really what I would want to achieve, but hopefully, I would not have to install the program on both machines and just run them from the PC, functioning as server, through to my laptop.I know I am a bit fussy, but, that's me for you. Thank you everyone.

Not 100% sure whether I am in the right place here, but I didn't know where else to post this. i was wondering if anyone knows about a script, or a website tha toffers a link to put on your page (preferably free and with no advertising) which visitors can use to type text in a box, which then gets sent straight to my mobile phone. I know there are certain places which, when you affiliate with them, let you put a script on your page where people can enter a mobile phone number and a message, and their message then gets sent to the phone in question. That is not a bad service to offer, however: The receiver's number is/ has to be known. Many of them are not free. Many of them heavily rely on adverts. Some of them are only regional, eg. US only etc. What I would like is a box on my website, where people type their message, and that message is sent to me as an SMS, without revealing my mobile number. Another nice feature would be, since I own a Blackberry Phone, if I could put something on my site where people can type to get into a Blackberry Messenger conversation with me, or even better, a script that combines both features: people can either type a message to send as an SMS, or get into a BBM chat with me. Does anyone know of such a script or website? Please let me know. Thank you in advance. .

Thanks again, folks.i do appreciate your help a lot.By the way, the same names keep coming back with replies in whatever toic I post, it seems. :)Do you people know everything or something? Anyway, back on topic:I had a look at all the things that were recommended to me (WAMP, XXAMP) and tried them out, but they indeed seemed to present considerable difficulty for a beginner when it comes to setting the correct configurations.Then i saw the last recommendation (EasyPHP) and that brought back some memories, as I used it for a while a long time ago, but at that time it was quite buggy.However, when I saw your description about all the things it has on offer now I went to have a look, and i was indeed amazed, so I installed it right away.I must say, it has improved enormously.Now offering Wordpress, Joomla, a number of forums and even an online shop has made it a great piece of freeware, but what is even better is that all those modules can be installed and ran at test level (ie. your own hard drive) so you do not have to worry about taking up valuable server space on your hosting space or being frightened about messing something up while testing.I also found an electronic version of a book that was recommended, so, nothing is to stop me now of going on my way to learn how to make interactive websites.Thank you ever so much, everyone, but be warned, do expect more of my idiotic, ignorant questions soon when I get stuck somewhere.Thank you again.

OK, about Dixieland:mostly 4/4 (although they might play the od 3/4 number), the rhythm section is usually formed by piano, banjo, bass and drums (obviously, in street parades, count the piano out ).Enough examples: Louis Armstrong, Kenny Ball, Chris Barber, Acker Bilk, Dutch Swing College Band,Kid Ory and millions more.And, yes, I have enough tips for the hobbyist piano player, but the first one is: DO NOT NEGLECT TECHNIQUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!And, I shall have a look through my library, and recommend some good works for you, even scan a bit of stuff and send it to you, and I shall also be giving you some hints and tips on a regular basis.Always great talking to you.

Sure, that is what I mentioned in the last post in the thread.Hopefully rhey will not hold it aginst me for this time.

Yes, Baniboy,the one that I am certainly not going to forget to put on my list is W3Schools, I follow the PHP/MySQL tutorial chapter by chapter there.I just installed WAMP on my PC (Yes, I use Windows, Windows 7 Ultimate, by the way) an I will now have a look what it is doing.Anyway, looks like you have been giving me some great advice (again), I shall be checking it out now.Thank you once again.

I am in the process of trying to learn PHP/MySQL programming.The resources I use at the moment are some books (PHP & MySQL for Dummies and some other general books and E-books about PHP/MySQL) and online tutorials.It is not easy to find a college or educational institution that gives something like evening courses on the subject, so, at the moment, I am a bit tied to self study.What I would like to know, however, is what people recommend for practice purposes.I do have my webspace with Xisto, which includes PHP and MySQL, but, obviously when I do some exercises, that means I have to dump thos files on my web space, and sometimes, you forget to delete them, leaving you with (unnessecary) clutter on the server. (At least, that is what I think).That is why I would like to ask the more experienced people what they would recommend: Would they agree that what I just described is true, and clutters up your web space, or is it not really an issue to practice and do exercises like that?Or, would they recommend to install a server (eg. Apache) and PHP and MySQL on my PC and practice locally?If that is what people would recommend, is there any preference as to which server and PHP and MySQL to install?Or will just any source do?I am just thinking about things like ease of install and ease of use.Looking forward to your answers.Thank you in advance.

That last sentence sounds quite interesting to me.At the risk of going off-topic:Do you play any particular style?I am always interested in talking to a fellow musician, I am a professional musician who has worked all over Western Europe.I was classically trained (in my day you had no choice), with the organ as main instrument, but then I started playing popular music and got an interest in jazz too.After playing on my own (as an organist) for years, I then started putting my groups together, I used to have a Dixieland group (I played piano in that, and when we did street parades I played trombone or bass tuba) and I also had my jazz trio (piano, bass, drums) and jazz quartet (trio with addition of sax, trumpet or vocals).In the last 12 years or so, I have not performed that much, as I have been doing more work in music education (teaching privately, teaching in secondary schools and colleges).I must say I sometimes miss going on the road, but none of us get any younger. I would love it, though, if I could find something like doing a cocktail lounge job in a hotel (some cool, easy-listening stuff), or get a Dixieland Band up and running again.That is why I am organising auditions now, and if I find suitable people, I might well get started again.Another ambition I have, though, is one in education: since I have taught at almost all levels, I would very much like to end up lecturing at university, but you have to be very lucky to work your way in there, it is often a case of "It is not what you know, but WHO you know".But, anyway, let me know what kind of music you play, what you are interested in, and what you want to achieve with music.We might have some interesting talks about that. Who knows what it might lead to, and, we might be able to post some interesting topics on here.

The best solution is, indeed as others pointed out too, the most difficult one.The main thing here is: "DO NOT GIVE IN TO HIS BLACKMAIL"!!!!!!!!!If you do, he is going to keep coming back for more and still tell your new boyfriend in the end, which would most probably lead to an inevitable break-up, and picking up the pieces from that will cause you a lot more pain and heartache than the situation you are in now.You might think that his demands, although you don't feel like obliging, will keep him quiet, well, THEY WON'T!The only thing hat will happen is that he, when he has had enough, or at the slightest argument or disagreement, or when he feels he has not quite had what he wanted, will be round your current boyfriend like a shot to spill the beans.Then, what will you do, when your boyfriend hears that you have been cheating on him for goodness knows how long, and he had to hear it from somebody else?It would be much better to be one step ahead and to come clean, of course it will hurt him, but also explain the circumstances (although, I know, excess alcohol is not really an excuse), but, if he really loves you and is the understanding kind of man, chances are that he will forgive you, but, mind you, that might take time.However, do stop walking around with a guilty conscience, this is one of the situations where the saying "honesty is the best policy" goes more than ever.Think about it, try to do what your conscience tells you, but bear my advice (and that of other people in the thread) in mind.Come clean, and maybe have a bit of heartache for a while, but save yourself a heartache that lasts for years or even a lifetime.

I have the MyCents issues too, one time it upgrades the next day, then sometimes it takes 2-3 days before my credit is adjusted.Another thing that annoys me incredibly is the following:The forum does not seem to remember me at all, in the login place, I have ticked the "Remember me" box, but it looks like I have to sign in every time I visit the forum.The best one happened to me right now: I had signed in, was reading this thread, and decided to reply to it, when I had clicked the "Reply" button a message appeared "You do not have permissions to reply to this thread", and when I looked, I saw the eternal "Sign in" smiling at me again at the top. At the risk of repeating myself: I had signed in before I started reading any threads.And then finally (I think I am not the only one, I have seen this thread appear on its own a few times): the forum (and all that goes with it) loads incredibly slow, when I wanted to reply (what I mentioned above), it took me about two minutes after clicking the "Add Reply" button, only to see that I had to log in again, which took me another few minutes to accomplish.And, no, it is not my PC or my Internet connection, they are both fairly fast, and there are other forums I go on, which are also heavily visited, and on some of them, I don't even have to wait a fourth of the time I am spending here waiting for the forum/a thread/a reply window etc. to open.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear: When I still worked as a performing musician, it wa not unusual to have about 20 bers a day. A beer now must cost about 2 euros (have not been in a pub for a while). As for the 3rd question, originating from the nr. 1 beer country in the world, I could almost start a new topic about this alone: My number one favourite beer is certainly Trappist (beer tthat is brewn in monateries by monks of the trappist order. It is strong, pure tasteful, in other words: it is nectar. They have 6 per cent alcohol ones, 8 per cent and 12 per cent, all dark in colour, and they have triple, pale in colour, 10 per cent). Second on my list is definitely Kriek, a red coloured beer made with the addition of cherries. Highly refreshing and thirst quenching. Like I said, I could start a topic in itself about this (and maybe I will), but, if you ever have an opportunity of visiting Flanders, do have a beer tasting session. It is not unusual in Flanders to find pubs that sell 250 kinds of different beers, or even more. Oh, and these days I have started brewing my own beer. Did a batch for Christmas and it was surprisingly great, and strong.