How about a color pallette? http://www.siteprocentral.com/html_color_code.html
The sliding text at the top distracts from the rest of the page. I look at that more than the content.
Green on red isn't wise for any color-blind visitors. They may not see any text at all there. Try some contrast on your text and bg. This is why you often see black text on a white background.
You may also want to reduce the font-size in the left nav to give your links a little space from the left and right border of the column.
A graphic would be attractive on your header, even if it was just an abstract pattern. And a little text before your ads would give me more incentive to read the page. Starting with ads turned me off. I had to scroll to see your tips.
Try analyzing some websites you like to read to see what makes them easy to read, navigate, etc. What do you like about them?
Best of luck..
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