WPyogi ..
1st Thank you for replying.
2nd, I'm not ranting. I'm PISSED OFF. Never confuse the two. Ranting is pointless blather. PISSED OFF is Xtreme anger due to having ones work routine screwed up/over by unknown sources/reasons/other.
Yes, I realize that the PLACE where I am experiencing the problem is WP.com - but to say WP.com and WP.org are 'separate' ..is, well, yeah right? I know the differences. But the backbone code is the same. This forum is where we go to get first-hand assistance with the WP code. So...?
What I'm looking to find (outside of FIX!) is this:
Has there been a weird code error/change/alteration, in how WP treats the image map tag .. or is WP.com enacting some sort of weird protective measure by dismantling the <map></map> tag? This tag is the same in HTML and XHTML. So why have we suddenly lost it? It's a very legitimate question..!
And as to the comment, 'get a self-hosted' site. I already have dozens of them. I use the WP.com as 'extra touch' sites. And up until the past couple of weeks, all worked quite well.
I just want to know WHAT THE HECK CHANGED?
I am all for Change that has positive outcome. But Change without direction, may end up being good, but in the interim is most disruptive. I'm just looking to lessen or eliminate the disruption now being experienced.
Thank you.