     # the broken text ugliness by using img { text-indent: -10000px } to 
     # hide the alt text / broken image
     attrs.alt = ""
+    attrs.src = src
+    IMG attrs
+  else 
+    # IE9 gets confused if there is an image without a src
+    # Chrome puts a weird gray border around IMGs without a src
+    attrs.style.backgroundColor ?= 'transparent'
+    SPAN attrs
   
-  tag attrs,
-    if add_initials
-      fontsize = style.width / 2
-      ff = 'monaco,Consolas,"Lucida Console",monospace'
-      if name == 'Anonymous'
-        name = '?'
-
-      if name.length == 2
-        name = "#{name[0][0]}#{name[1][0]}"
-      else 
-        name = "#{name[0][0]}"
-
-      DIV
-        style: 
-          color: 'white'
-          pointerEvents: 'none'
-          fontSize: fontsize
-          position: 'relative'
-          fontFamily: ff
-          top: .3 * fontsize #style.height / 2 - heightWhenRendered(name, {fontSize: fontsize, fontFamily: ff}) / 2
-          overflow: 'hidden'
-        name
-
-        DIV 
-          className: 'hidden'
-          tooltip
 
 
 



window.avatar = (user, props) ->
  props = _.extend {}, props

  if !user.key 
    if user == arest.cache['/current_user']?.user 

      fetch user
      return SPAN null

  attrs.style ||= {}
  style = attrs.style

  # Setting avatar image
  #   Don't show one if it should be anonymous or the user doesn't have one
  #   Default to small size if the width is small  
  anonymous = attrs.anonymous? && attrs.anonymous 
  src = null
  if !anonymous && user.avatar_file_name 
    if style?.width >= 50 && !browser.is_ie9
      img_size = 'large'
    else 
      img_size = attrs.img_size or 'small'

    src = avatarUrl user, img_size

    # Override the gray default avatar color if we're showing an image. 
    # In most cases the white will allow for a transparent look. It 
    # isn't set to transparent because a transparent icon in many cases
    # will reveal content behind it that is undesirable to show.  
    style.backgroundColor = 'white'

  id = if anonymous 
         "avatar-hidden" 
       else 
         "avatar-#{user.key.split('/')[2]}"

  name = user_name user, anonymous

  if attrs.alt 
    alt = attrs.alt.replace('<user>', name) 
    delete attrs.alt
  else 
    alt = name 

  attrs = _.extend attrs,
    key: user.key
    className: "avatar #{props.className or ''}"
    'data-user': user.key
    'data-tooltip': if !props.hide_tooltip then alt 
    'data-anon': anonymous  
    tabIndex: if props.focusable then 0 else -1

  if src
    # attrs.alt = if props.hide_tooltip then '' else tooltip 
    # the above fails too much on broken images, and 
    # screenreaders would probably be overwhelmed with saying all these stances.
