This sounds like somebody is claiming the clipboard (misleading Gnumeric into assuming that the content has been pasted in some other app). Are you running one of the clipboard destroying programs such as clipper or klipper?
Andreas -- Andreas Guelzow <aguel...@pyrshep.ca> -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-bugs-dist-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org