> New data in today that says the univers slows and speeds up in its expansion. . . one would think that it would be a linear expansion, not a sporadical one, so there might be a 4th option out there. . .

Unfortunately, we haven't got a clue what that would be. There are a handful of renegades who insist that there are more causes of red shift than just the Doppler-like effect, which could be one solution. They've got several good points going for them, and several bad ones going against them. I would imagine that some explanatory idea will be proposed in the next few decades.

gab"Hard to rush astronomy"by