1. Forget "divs". This is the most common misconception for people switching to CSS based design. Everyone uses them, to be sure, but they're just another HTML element. They are nothing special. They don't "do" anything (which is why they're used). You could use <p> if you really wanted.
2. Use HTML properly and semantically. Instead of the meaningless <span class="heading">Resources</span>, you should use (surprise, surprise) one of the six heading elements - h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6! Imagine that.
3. Your problem is you're a novice using the most touchy and complex method of laying out a page (absolute positioning). You won't be successful until you learn the ins and outs of positioning and inheritance.
4. Forget "layers". That's a concept invented by Macromedia and I've never seen someone who uses them be successful.
5. Stop using <br /> to create whitespace and lay out elements.
6. Read every tutorial on
HTML Dog.