For ages, people used the sun to determine what time it was where they were. Every community set its clocks to noon based on when the sun reached its highest position in the sky; as a result, when it was noon in Washington, D.C., the local time in New York City was already minutes ahead. Before the days of long-distance travel, differences in local times weren’t a big deal. That changed with the rise of railroads in the 1800s. Although it was now possible to travel significant distances faster than ever before, a multitude of local times, particularly in large countries such as the United States, made things confusing when it came to train schedules. 

On November 18, 1883, America’s railroads began using a standard time system involving four time zones: Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific. Within each zone, all clocks were synchronized. The railroad industry’s plan was adopted by much of the country, although the time-zone system didn’t become official across the United States until the passage of the 1918 Standard Time Act, which also established daylight saving time. By the mid-20th century, most of the world had adopted a system of international time zones, in which the planet is divided into 24 zones spaced at intervals of approximately 15 degrees of longitude. In 1884, delegates from more than two dozen nations met at the International Meridian Conference, held in Washington, D.C., where they chose the line of longitude running through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England, as the official prime meridian, or zero point of longitude.

Today, Russia, the world’s largest nation in terms of land mass, has 11 time zones.

But China, the fourth-largest by area, has just 1 time zone! Before 1949, China had five time zones. After the rise of communism, the government required the entire country to operate on China Standard Time for the sake of national unity. 

On a conventional piston engine — which is found in virtually all modern passenger cars — the up-and-down motion of the pistons turn the crankshaft, and the crankshaft turns the camshaft, which opens the valves at the proper time. What typically connects the crankshaft to the camshaft is either a cogged timing belt riding on pulleys or a timing chain riding on sprockets. Both setups look somewhat like a bicycle’s chain and sprockets. 

If the timing belt or timing chain fails, the engine stops running immediately, potentially resulting in expensive internal engine damage.

Though it’s certainly a matter of opinion that’s based largely on your priorities, it’s generally felt that timing chains are better than timing belts. While most timing belts are supposed to be replaced every 60,000 to 120,000 miles, many timing chains end up lasting the life of the car. That can be significant because replacing a timing belt is a fairly complicated job that can easily cost $500 to $1,000. 

Imagine yourself as a successful worker thriving in a large accounting firm. You are only fifty years old and still have many things you want to achieve and experience for the rest of your life, including an exciting retirement plan.

But one day, the doctor tells you that you have an inoperable brain cancer and are given only 100 days to live.

For a man named Eugene O’Kelly,* what you just imagined was a reality in his life.

His life story is told in his book titled Chasing Daylight.

On May 24, 2005, Eugene received the devastating news that shattered his life plans.

Upon learning the seriousness of his illness, he did what he was trained to do as an accountant – he made a list:

- Resign from my job.

- Choose medical treatments that allow me to...

- Make the most of the remaining time for those most affected by my condition.

Eugene even made a to-do list for his final days:

- Settle legal and financial matters 

- Open up relationships,

- Simplify

- Live for today

- Create joyful moments

- Begin transitioning to the next phase

- Plan the funeral

- Stay positive until the end. 

In Scripture, there was a King of Israel who also experienced a similar situation. He knew exactly how long he had left to live in this world. In 2 Kings 20:1-11 we read that King Hezekiah became gravely ill (verse 1), but when he prayed to God, asking for His mercy, God extended hiss life by 15 years (verse 6).

But King Hezekiah didn't initially take full advantage of the remaining time granted to him. In 2 Chronicles 32:24-33 we read that He was first overtaken by pride (verse 25), derailing him from productive and positive use of his remaining time.

*Eugene O'Kelly was a former Chairman and CEO of KPMG, one of the largest U. S. accounting and consulting firms and one of the Big Four auditors. Eugene was elected chairman and CEO of KPMG in 2002 for a term of six years. In May 2005, at age 53, Eugene was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor.