Magic Statistics

By looking at the oldest known light in the universe, scientists have found evidence that the universe grew to a fantastic size within a split second of the Big Bang.

In that trillionth of a second after the big bang, the universe expanded from the size of a marble to a volume larger than all of observable space through a process known as inflation. At the same time, the seeds were planted for the formation of stars, galaxies, planets and every other object in the universe.

Who could’ve caused a thing like that?

The observations support the theory that the universe is made up mainly of dark matter and dark energy.

Scientists were also able to conclude that the universe is composed of about 4 percent real matter, about 23 percent dark matter and about 73 percent dark energy. Nobody actually knows what dark matter or dark energy are, however.

The new data also confirmed that the age of the universe is 13.7 billion years, give or take 60 million years.

Previous related post: Dark matter faster and hotter than previously believed.

That would be Mick Hume, columnist for The Times of London. Not only does he keep losing, he hates being hectored by government ads promoting "socially responsible gambling", whatever that is.

My name is Mick, and I have a gambling problem. My problem is that I have hardly backed a winner during this week’s Cheltenham Festival. There are many fellow-sufferers; the bookmakers reportedly pocketed £50 million on Wednesday alone. Yet we will be back today, trying to pick the winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

This might make us ordinary punters, quite liderallee losers. What it does not make us is a crowd of vulnerable victims and potential gambling addicts in need of professional intervention to keep us from the knacker’s yard.

Being told you're a candidate for "addictions counselling" really takes the fun out of throwing your money away.

According to the 2004 Visitor Exit Survey, over 250,000 tourists visited Yukon between June and September 2004. That's over eight times as many people as actually live here. 77 percent of visitors came from the United States, almost all of whom drove through on their way to and from Alaska. For more fascinatin' statistics from the survey, download pdf reports here and here.

The Dept. of Tourism has just unveiled a new website called Drive Yukon promoting Yukon as a tourist destination. It has lots of snazzy Flash animation, but I also found some of the features clunky and the photos, while attractive, are small. No one at the tourism office asked my opinion, however.

Even if you're not actually planning to travel anywhere near here, the site is worth visiting to order the free glossy Vacation Planner. It's always well done and full of beautiful pictures of the unspoiled wilderness. (You're supposed to answer ten questions about your travel plans, but you can get away with answering only the four marked with an asterisk.)

A man who deserted the US Marine Corps in 1968 and fled to Canada was arrested by American officials last Thursday trying to cross the international boundary from British Columbia into Idaho. Allen Abney, 56, who became a Canadian citizen in 1977, was taken to Camp Pendleton military base, near San Diego, and held in the brig.

At this point, I figured that Mr Abney would be court-martialled for desertion and possibly sentenced to imprisonment. To the contrary, however, he was quickly released and returned home.

Abney was freed late Thursday night, partly for humanitarian reasons. His brother Gerry died in hospital while he was in custody, and the U.S. military rushed the release through so that Abney could attend the funeral on Saturday.

The military even paid for air passage to Spokane, Washington, where Mr Abney was met by members of his family.

The home where Mr Abney lives with his family is in Kingsgate, BC, about 100 metres from the US-Canada border.

In honour of St Patrick's Day, here is the prayer attributed to him, "St Patrick's Breastplate". It was translated from the Gaelic by Cecil F. Alexander in 1889 and set to music by Charles V. Stanford in 1902.

I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this today to me forever
By power of faith, Christ’s incarnation;
His baptism in Jordan river,
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb,
His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming at the day of doom
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of cherubim;
The sweet ‘Well done’ in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors’ faith, Apostles’ word,
The Patriarchs’ prayers, the prophets’ scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the star lit heaven,
The glorious sun’s life giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward;
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan’s spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart’s idolatry,
Against the wizard’s evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave, the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
By Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Source of St Patrick icon: Byzantines.net