An omphalos is a religious stone artifact, or baetylus. In Ancient Greek, the word ὀμφᾰλός means "navel". In Greek lore, Zeus sent two eagles across the world to meet at its centre, the "navel" of the world. Among the Ancient Greeks, it was a widespread belief. According to the myths regarding the founding of the Delphic Oracle, Zeus, in his attempt to locate the center of the earth, launched two eagles from the two ends of the world, the eagles and flying at equal speed, crossed their paths above the area of Delphi, so was the place where Zeus placed the stone. Omphalos is the name of the stone given to Cronus. In the ancient world of the Mediterranean, it was a powerful religious symbol. Omphalos Syndrome refers to the belief that a place of geopolitical power and currency is the most important place in the world; the omphalos was not only an object of Hellenic religious world centrality. Its symbolic references included the uterus, the phallus, a cup of red wine representing royal blood lines.

Most accounts locate the Delphi omphalos in the adyton near the Pythia. The stone sculpture itself, has a carving of a knotted net covering its surface, a hollow center, widening towards the base; the omphalos represents the stone which Rhea wrapped in swaddling clothes, pretending it was Zeus, in order to deceive Cronus.. Omphalos stones were believed to allow direct communication with the gods. Holland suggested that the stone was hollow to allow intoxicating vapours breathed by the Oracle to channel through it. Erwin Rohde wrote that the Python at Delphi was an earth spirit, conquered by Apollo and buried under the Omphalos. However, understanding of the use of the omphalos is uncertain due to destruction of the site by Theodosius I and Arcadius in the 4th century CE; the omphalos at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, represents, in medieval Christian tradition, the navel of the world. Jewish tradition held that God revealed himself to His people through the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple in Jerusalem, which rested on the Foundation Stone marking the centre of the world.

This tradition may have stemmed from the similar one at Delphi. The omphalos has a collection box chained next to it. Omphalos is a public art sculpture by Dimitri Hadzi located in the Harvard Square, Massachusetts under the Arts on the Line program; as of 2014, the sculpture has been deinstalled. In literature, the word omphalos has held various meanings but refers to the stone at Delphi. Authors who have used the term include: Homer, Pausanias, D. H. Lawrence, James Joyce, Jacques Derrida, Sandy Hingston. For example, Joyce uses the term in the novel, Ulysses: "Billy Pitt had them built," Buck Mulligan said, "when the French were on the sea but our's is the omphalos." One of her sisterhood lugged me squealing into life. Creation from nothing. What has she in the bag? A misbirth with a trailing navelcord, hushed in ruddy wool; the cords of all link back. That is. Will you be as gods? Gaze in your omphalos. to set up there a national fertilising farm to be named Omphalos with an obelisk hewn and erected after the fashion of Egypt and to offer his dutiful yeoman services for the fecundation of any female of what grade of life soever who should there direct to him with the desire of fulfilling the functions of her natural.

In Ted Chiang's short story "Omphalos", the protagonist is forced to question her belief about where the navel of the world is located. Cusco Göbekli Tepe Hill of Uisneach Kaaba, Black Stone Nishiwaki, Hyōgo Mexico Tenri, Nara Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong, Thailand Yanggu County, Gangwon Axis mundi Benben stone Black Stone Lapis Niger Lia Fáil Lingam Stone of Scone Umbilicus urbis Romae Burkert, Walter. Greek Religion. Dehoqu. Dishi. Farnell, Lewis R.. The Cults of the Greek States. Goodrich, Norma L.. Priestesses. Guthrie, W. K. C.. The Greeks and their Gods. Hall, Manly P.. "The Secret Teachings of All Ages: Greek Oracles". Sacred texts. Harrison, Jane Ellen. "Themis: A Study of the Social Origins of Greek Religion". P. 396. Holland, Leicester B.. "The Mantic Mechanism at Delphi". American Journal of Archaeology. 37: 204–214. "Homeric Hymn to Pythian Apollo". The Medieval and Classical Literature Library. Oswald, Pierre Jean & Kitsikis, Dimitri. Omphalos. Paris. CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list Rohde, Erwin.

Psyche. Shafer, Joseph R.. Literary Identity in the Omphalos Periplus. Trubshaw, Bob. "The Black Stone - the Omphalos of the Goddess". Mercian Mysteries. 14. Media related to Omphalos at Wikimedia Commons The dictionary definition of omphalos at Wiktionary

Phoenix Legend is a Chinese popular music duo, consisting of female vocalist Yangwei Linghua and male rapper Zeng Yi. Their music blends folk music with rap and hip hop elements and has a wide appeal with fans all over. In May 2012 Phoenix Legend was reported in the China Daily as having sold more than 6 million albums in China since 2005, 10 songs from four of their albums have recorded one billion online hits, their song "Above the Moon" brought them national attention after they performed it on the television show Star Boulevard. Their song "Fly Freely" has been placing high on Chinese download charts. In 2009 the duo had a major hit song entitled The Most Dazzling Folk Style; this song has been downloaded more than 100 million times through cell websites in China. The same year they joined the Art Troupe of the Second Artillery Corps, with the duty of entertaining soldiers in the People's Liberation Army's nuclear weapons units. In 1999, the duo first formed a group called Cool Fire, singing Korean and American pop songs.

Songwriter He Muyang heard Ling's voice on TV in 2003 and rewrote Above the Moonlight, a sentimental song he wrote in 1999 for the duo. In 2004, the group signed a contract with Peacock Bluehead and the song became a hit in 2005, after the group toured more than 20 universities in China. Songwriter Zhang Chao has written three popular songs for the group, including The Most Dazzling Folk Style and Moon Over the Lotus Pond; the duo has been gaining recognition outside China. The Most Dazzling Folk Style was used by cheerleaders during an NBA Houston Rockets game in April 2012 and become an Internet sensation after being remixed and re-edited by fans. Ling's husband Xu Mingchao is in charge of promoting the duo's songs. 2005-Above the Moon 2007-Good Fortune As You So Desire 2009-The Most Dazzling Folk Style 2011-Sing Loudly 2014-The Best Era 2012-China's Tastes Official Website Phoenix Legend introduction and their music Website on Iting, Chinese music site

The Australian Ambassador to Timor-Leste is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Australia to Timor-Leste. The position has the rank and status of an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and the embassy in Dili has been operating since 1999 when a consulate was established in the Indonesian Province of Timor Timur and upgraded in May 2002; the Australian diplomatic presence in East Timor dates back to 13 April 1941, when Group Captain David Ross, was appointed as a Technical Representative of the Australian Department of Civil Aviation in Dili, the capital of Portuguese Timor tasked with managing the Qantas Empire Airways Flying boat route to Dili, established in January 1941. Ross had been secretly tasked by the Australian Government from 5 November 1941 to act as Australia's representative in the colony to report on any matters relating to the political situation there. At the instigation of Herbert Evatt, Minister for External Affairs, Ross was serving as the British Consul in Dili and was arrested when Japanese forces invaded the colony in February 1942.

The establishment of a consulate with Ross as its head had been mooted prior to the Japanese invasion. With the end of the war and the return of Portuguese authority to Timor, the Australian Government established a consulate in Dili, commencing operations on 1 January 1946 with the appointment of Charles Eaton as consul. Australia had been approached by the Portuguese Government of António de Oliveira Salazar to accept the establishment of an embassy in Canberra, but this was not approved, with Australia citing that it was unable to reciprocate owing to a lack of resources, instead suggesting an Australian consulate in Dili, agreed to. Prior to the establishment of an Australian Embassy in Portugal in 1970, the consulate dealt with various matters relating to Australia's relations with Portugal. Following the establishment of the embassy in Lisbon, the consulate became much less important and on 3 May 1971, the Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, Reginald Swartz, announced the consulate's closure, which took effect on 31 August 1971.

In August 1975, the Foreign Affairs Caucus Committee of the Australian Labor Party visited Timor and produced a report noting that Governor Mário Lemos Pires had made several requests for the consulate to be reopened: "We asked for a consul in November and have asked about ten times since. Mr Taylor of the Australian Embassy was asked last week. Mr Woolcott was asked this week. We have asked Lisbon and I believe Dr Matias, Portuguese Ambassador in Canberra, has, or will be, asking again in Australia." Governor Pires noted to the committee that these requests were made in order to make Australia more able to engage with the unstable situation in the colony prior to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor: "At present Australia cannot compensate for Indonesian propaganda or understand the day-to-day happenings in the colony." In early April 1999 Prime Minister John Howard and Indonesian President B. J. Habibie met in Bali to discuss matters relating to the unrest in the Province of Timor, which had Indonesian-occupied since Timor's brief independence from Portugal in 1975.

Howard requested Habibie to agree to a peacekeeping force in the province, refused, but Habibie agreed to allowing the establishment of an Australian Consulate in Dili. On 4 June 1999 Foreign Minister Alexander Downer announced the appointment of James Batley as consul in Dili, noting that the consulate "will allow us to service the consular needs of the increasing number of Australians in East Timor, will facilitate Australia’s considerable support to the United Nations Assistance Mission in East Timor." However, with the establishment of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor on 25 October 1999, Batley's role was to changed to be Australia's Head of Mission to the UNTAET and following independence was appointed as Australia's first ambassador on 20 May 2002, the first foreign diplomatic appointment to the new Republic of Timor-Leste. Farram, Steven. A Short-Lived Enthusiasm: The Australian Consulate in Portuguese Timor. Darwin, NT: Charles Darwin University Press. Australian Embassy in Timor-Leste