Web DB - PHP or ...? ... .

ok. I'm about to build a website/database. It's gonna be like kind of online classifieds slash community - but the main focus is on the classifieds (which are free)

So... my first thought was to teach myself PHP and MySQL stuff. I've done a tiny bit of PHP before and I'm a fast learner and not a retard. I know I can do it and otherwise I would be hiring someone.

The Question:
Should I just go ahead and learn some PHP
OR
Is there a better language out there?

--- thnx

In terms of learning C, Python, Ruby or Java vs learning PHP, PHP was way easier and believe me
First, comparing PHP with C or Java is amazingly stupid; they're for different things. What you should compare PHP with is Python, Perl, Ruby or even Tcl. I can't believe I have to state the obvious.

I am also 100% confident in asserting that you never learned Ruby or Python, because nobody who knows either would ever use PHP unless paid. Maybe you think a couple of hours staring at code examples somehow means "learning".

attempting to get a Ruby on Rails environment set up
Rails is a framework, you dunce. Spell after me: F R A M E W O R K. Since when did the PHP base install come with CakePHP?

tl;dr: just another PHP moron