Former chief United Nations weapons inspector Mr Hans Blix said today he suspected the United States bugged his office and home in the run-up to the Iraq war, but had no hard evidence.

Funny, every time he speaks his words get dumber and dumber.

Describing such behaviour as ?disgusting?, Mr Blix told Britain?s Guardian newspaper in an interview: ?It feels like an intrusion into your integrity in a situation when you are actually on the same side.?

Excuse me, but I think he would be hard pressed to find anyone who agrees that he was on the same side as anyone (except maybe Saddam Hussein and the French).

Mr Blix said his suspicions were raised when he had trouble with a telephone connection at home.

That statement is too funny. Like anyone in the United States as not had trouble with a telephone connection. If his statement actually had any merit, then we could believe that we all have been bugged at some point…

?It might have been something trivial or it might have been something installed somewhere, I don?t know,? he said. The Swede said he asked UN counter-surveillance teams to check his office and home for listening devices.

Of course, they found nothing… So there was nothing… So his words mean nothing…

??If you had something sensitive to talk about you would go out into the restaurant or out into the streets,? said Mr Blix.

This sounds like a classic case of paranoia, not espionage.

French cinema chains are refusing to distribute or screen Mel Gibson's controversial film "The Passion of the Christ" because of fears it will spark a new outbreak of anti-Semitism.

France is the only European country where there is still no distribution deal for the film, which depicts the last days of Jesus Christ in graphic detail and is accused by critics of stoking anti-Jewish sentiment.

The film was released in America last week, but French distributors are wary of its impact on audiences and want to gauge its reception elsewhere in Europe, where it is due to open next month.

Once again, the French are waiting to see what everyone else is going to do. Far be it from them to actually take the first step on anything.

Here is a message from Vinny at Insignificant Thoughts:

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Please, if you read me regularly just drop a line on your blog to let people know that I am indeed still around and I will be on a new host this week and this problem will be over.

I never ask for anything of my readers, but I really need your help this time.

Thanks!

Now you know the rest of the story.

A federal judge on Friday threw out the most serious charge against Martha Stewart, securities fraud, just before her trial goes to a jury.

The charge accused Stewart of deceiving investors in her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, by lying about her sale of ImClone Systems stock.

"Here, the evidence and inferences the government presents are simply too weak to support a finding beyond a reasonable doubt of criminal intent," the judge wrote.

U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum left intact four other charges against the celebrity homemaker – conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and two counts of lying to investigators.

Whatcha think? All charges dismissed by Monday?

America's economy, bolstered by brisk business spending, grew at a healthy 4.1 percent annual rate in the final quarter of 2003. That was even faster than first thought and offered new evidence that the nation's economic recovery was firmly rooted going into the new year.

The latest reading on the gross domestic product – the broadest measure of the economy's health – was slightly better than the 4 percent pace estimated a month ago for the October-to-December quarter, the Commerce Department reported Friday. GDP measures the value of all goods and services produced within the United States.

Note to the left-wing spinners: Yes, this is Bush's fault too. Remember your own statements.

Note to the right-wing believers: We knew this was coming all along.

Of course, mainstream media will give this a quick blurb and then move on to John Kerry and his "outstanding" service to our country. cough.