Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_CONSTANT_ENCAPSED_STRING

Hello everyone,
being quite new to php and wordpress I am having trouble figuring out how to fix this error and I would be very grateful if someone could point me in the right direction:

Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_CONSTANT_ENCAPSED_STRING in /home/skypepro/public_html/fundanovel.com/wp-content/themes/parallelus-salutation/header-default.php on line 43

Here is the default header code:

<?php global $cssPath, $jsPath, $themePath, $theLayout; ?>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="<?php bloginfo('html_type'); ?>; charset=<?php bloginfo('charset'); ?>" />
<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge,chrome=1"><?php // Force latest IE rendering engine ?>
<title><?php wp_title('',1,'right'); ?></title>
<?php // Favorites and mobile bookmark icons ?>
<link rel="shortcut icon" href="<?php theme_var('options,favorites_icon','http://para.llel.us/favicon.ico'); ?>">
<link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" href="<?php theme_var('options,apple_touch_icon','http://para.llel.us/apple-touch-icon.png'); ?>">

<?php // JS variables needed to trigger theme functionality ?>
<script type="text/javascript">
  var fadeContent = '<?php theme_var('options,fade_in_content','none'); ?>';
  var toolTips = '<?php theme_var('options,tool_tips','none'); ?>';
</script>

<?php
// WordPress headers.
// This includes all theme CSS and some JS files. You can add or modify the list from "functions.php"
wp_head();

// Feed link / Pingback link ?>
<link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="<?php bloginfo('name'); ?> Atom Feed" href="<?php bloginfo('atom_url'); ?>">
<link rel="pingback" href="<?php bloginfo('pingback_url'); ?>">

<?php // jQuery fallback. Will load a local copy if WP Head fails to load. ?>
<script>!window.jQuery && document.write(unescape('%3Cscript src="<?php echo $jsPath; ?>libs/jquery-1.7.1.min.js"%3E%3C/script%3E'))</script>

<!--[if lte IE 8]>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="<?php echo $cssPath; ?>ie.css" />
<![endif]-->

<style type="text/css">
<?php
// Body font
if ($theLayout['body_font']) :
  echo 'body, select, input, textarea {  font-family: '. $theLayout['body_font'] .'; } ';
endif;

// Default body background
$bg = get_theme_var('design_setting,body');
if ( $bg['bg_color'] || $bg['background']) {
  $theBg = ($bg['bg_color']) ? '#'.str_replace('#','',$bg['bg_color']) : 'transparent';
  if ($bg['background']) {
    $theBg .= ' url(''.$bg['background'].'') '.$bg['bg_repeat'].' '.$bg['bg_pos_x'].' '.$bg['bg_pos_y'];
  }
  echo 'body { background: '.$theBg.'; }';
}

// Heading font
if ($theLayout['heading_font']['standard']) :
  echo 'h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 {  font-family: '. $theLayout['heading_font']['standard'] .'; } ';
endif;

// Custom CSS entered in design settings
if ($customCSS = get_theme_var('design_setting,css_custom')) :
  echo prep_content($customCSS);
endif;
?>
</style> <?php 

// Custom JavaScript entered in design settings
if ($customJS = get_theme_var('design_setting,js_custom')) : ?>
<script type="text/javascript">
  <?php echo prep_content($customJS); ?>
</script>
<?php endif; ?>

[Moderator Note: Please post code or markup snippets between backticks or use the code button. Or better still – use the pastebin. As it stands, your code may now have been permanently damaged/corrupted by the forum’s parser.]