I like the region-specific header section at the top above the post, kind of a local activist alert.
I'm sure if you forward specific concerns to JR he'll consider them along with the others. This current site was designed along the same lines and I do think it looks great.
That's fine if you're going for the prettiest site. I didn't think that was ever JimRob's intention. Thank God the threads themselves are still readable....once you can get to them, but the layout on the latest posts page and the self-search or "my comments" page is just terrible and the blue font is unbearable for doing much reading. I find my attention wandering constantly. I forget what it is I was doing.