Yes, Paul, the black with white stripes background makes the text pretty unreadable, don't you think so too? Well, it's your site and you're the master of the design. Just let me tell you that I worked as a webdesigner and for a professional it's a nono to use such a combination. If you would use a black with dark grey stripes background, that would look much better.
Here's a darker version: (just right-click and save as...)
Here's a darker version: (just right-click and save as...)