All are making valid points about the images. It's a big ball of wax really.

Just think, if we allowed the display of images hosted elsewhere from our start 15 years ago, how many of those images do you think would still be there?

mudcat.org is a permanent idea for me, it must always adhere to a functionality that survives the flux that is the rest of the internet.

Jeri is right too, accessibility is important to me. Accessibility in that the site works with old browsers and low bandwidth and also the accessibility for the handicapped. As a publisher in the United States, I have a civil obligation to make sure that my site is accessible to e-readers that are used for the blind. In fact, late last year my employer, Penn State University, got in some hot water over this very issue. Images make it a lot more complex.