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Michael

@michaelsten.bsky.social

A books📚, films🎬, photography📸, music🎶, and knowledge📖 lover from Malta (Europe). I’m always happy to follow back and get to know people 😊.

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Admirable Women@admirablewomen.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Who invented Kevlar? Chemist Stephanie Kwolek in 1965. In a 40+ year career, her work in polymer chemistry ultimately revolutionized personal body armor, industrial engineering & space exploration. Fourth woman inducted, National Inventors Hall of Fame, 1994. She died #OTD in 2014. #WomenInSTEM

Fun color photograph of pioneering American chemist Stephanie Kwolek (1923–2014), the inventor of Kevlar, taken in her later years. She is indoors in what appears to be a home or lab setting with soft lighting and kitchen-like background elements. Kwolek, an older woman with short gray hair, wears large round eyeglasses, a light plaid blouse or dress with a white collar, and holds up a bright yellow circular button that reads "ASK ME ABOUT KEVLAR" in bold black lettering. On her hand she wears thick yellow Kevlar protective gloves (the very material she invented), one glove prominently displayed in the foreground as she grips the button. Her expression is gentle, proud, and welcoming, with a slight smile, embodying her lifelong dedication to science, safety, and innovation as she invites conversation about her groundbreaking discovery that revolutionized bullet-resistant vests, tires, helmets, and countless other applications.
Admirable Women@admirablewomen.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Fossil collector & self-taught paleontologist Mary Anning's discoveries revolutionized our understanding of prehistoric life. "The greatest fossilist the world ever knew," she made her finds in the Jurassic marine fossil beds along the cliffs of Lyme Regis (UK). Born #OTD in 1799. #WomenInSTEM

A historical oil painting portrait of Mary Anning (1799–1847), the pioneering British fossil hunter, paleontologist, and self-taught scientist from Lyme Regis, Dorset, England. Painted by B. J. Donne in the 19th century (posthumous or based on contemporary sketches), it depicts her standing outdoors on a rocky coastal shore under a dramatic, stormy sky with dark clouds and a glimpse of the sea and distant cliffs in the background. She wears a long, dark green cloak with a hood, a red neck scarf, and a wide-brimmed bonnet tied under her chin. In her gloved right hand she holds a geological hammer (her iconic tool), and a small wicker basket hangs from her left arm, likely for carrying fossils. A loyal black-and-white dog (possibly her famous companion Tray) lies curled at her feet on the rocks. Mary Anning stands with a calm, resolute expression, gazing slightly upward and to the side, conveying quiet determination and intelligence. The painting's muted tones and romantic style emphasize her as a lone figure in a rugged, fossil-rich landscape, symbolizing her groundbreaking contributions to early paleontology despite societal barriers as a working-class woman.
Admirable Women@admirablewomen.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Chemist Helen Murray Free revolutionized diagnostic medicine by co-developing the first dip-&-read test strip for monitoring glucose in urine. Her work transformed diabetes management, allowing people to monitor their glucose at home rather than w/lab tests. She was born #OTD in 1923. #WomenInSTEM

A color photograph of American chemist and inventor Helen Murray Free in her later years, taken at a formal awards ceremony. She is seated on a black chair in a banquet-style room with warm lighting and blurred background attendees. Helen, an older woman with short light-brown or graying hair, wears glasses and smiles gently with a warm, contented expression as she looks slightly off to the side. She is dressed in a elegant black blazer over a sparkly black top, accessorized with a long beaded necklace, and proudly wears a red-white-blue patriotic ribbon with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation medal. The image captures her poised and dignified presence, reflecting her lifelong achievements in developing life-changing diagnostic tests for diabetes and other conditions.
Admirable Women@admirablewomen.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Celebrating Mother Jones Internat'l #WorkersDay! Irish-American #labor organizer & hellraiser who became the most famous (& feared) woman in the US labor movement. Nicknamed “the most dangerous woman in America” by a US district attorney because she could rally 1000s & shut down entire industries.

This graphic features a historic black-and-white photograph of Mary Harris "Mother" Jones (1837–1930) paired with a powerful quote. Jones, a legendary labor and community organizer, is shown in a three-quarter profile facing left. She wears a dark, high-collared dress adorned with intricate floral embroidery or lace along the neckline and a white jabot or blouse underneath. Her attire is topped with a dark, wide-brimmed hat decorated with small, light-colored flowers. She wears round spectacles, and her expression is one of firm, weary determination. The background is a soft, out-of-focus outdoor setting. To the right, a dark teal rectangular block contains her famous 1902 rallying cry in white sans-serif text: “Pray for the dead, and fight like hell for the living.” The words "fight like hell" are emphasized in bold italics. Below the quote, her name and the date are neatly printed. The composition balances the stern, matriarchal dignity of the "most dangerous woman in America" with the radical spirit of her lifelong fight for workers' rights and against child labor.
Barack Obama@barackobama.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Hope isn’t blind optimism — it arises in the face of uncertainty. If you look at our history, we’ve gone through some rough patches. But we tend to come out on the other side of them stronger than before.

Admirable Women@admirablewomen.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Caltech molecular microbiologist & geobiologist Dianne Newman launched the field of molecular geomicrobiology, which explores how microorganisms have shaped Earth's evolution over billions of years. + MacArthur "Genius" Fellow, 2016 + Elected, National Academy of Sciences, 2019 #WomenInSTEM

Color photograph of Dr. Dianne K. Newman (born 1971), the pioneering American molecular microbiologist and geobiologist whose interdisciplinary research at the California Institute of Technology has transformed our understanding of microbial metabolism in oxygen-poor environments, ancient Earth geochemistry, and modern applications in chronic infections and sustainable ecosystems. In the image, Newman appears in a warm, close-up head-and-shoulders composition, positioned slightly right of center and looking directly at the viewer with a gentle, knowing smile and bright, intelligent eyes framed by rectangular black glasses. Her dark, wavy, shoulder-length hair falls naturally around her face. She wears a simple black V-neck top, a delicate gold chain with a small heart-shaped pendant and small pearl stud earrings. The background is a softly blurred laboratory or research office setting filled with wooden shelves, glassware, bottles, scientific equipment, and storage containers—evoking the active, hands-on environment where her groundbreaking work takes place. The lighting is natural and even, highlighting her face while keeping the scientific surroundings visible but unobtrusive.
Admirable Women@admirablewomen.bsky.social · 4mo ago

French painter Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun: one of the most successful/sought-after portraitists of the late 1700s. Easy to see why. She was the official court painter to Marie Antoinette, producing ~30 portraits of the Queen over 6 years. Born #OTD in 1755. #art #artsky Left: Self-portrait, 1782

This luminous oil-on-canvas self-portrait, painted in 1782 by Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755–1842), captures the artist at the height of her early fame. The 27-year-old Vigée Le Brun — already a sought-after portraitist to the French court — presents herself with confident grace against a dramatic sky of soft blue clouds. She wears an elaborate wide-brimmed straw hat decorated with a large white feather and a garland of red, white, and blue flowers, her curly hair cascading over one shoulder. Her gown is a soft pink silk with a low neckline framed by a voluminous white ruffled fichu, accented by satin sleeves with lace cuffs, a black sash, and delicate earrings. In her left hand she holds a wooden painter’s palette laden with vivid pigments and several brushes. Her expression is direct, intelligent, and subtly smiling, conveying warmth, poise, and professional pride. The composition places her figure prominently against the atmospheric background, emphasizing her identity as both elegant woman and working artist. This celebrated self-portrait, one of several she created, underscores her key achievements as a trailblazing female painter who escaped the French Revolution to continue her career across Europe, painting royalty from Russia to Italy. It stands as a powerful declaration of her talent and independence in an era when women artists faced significant barriers.This grand oil-on-canvas portrait, titled Marie Antoinette and Her Children (1787), was painted by the celebrated French artist Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (16 April 1755 – 30 March 1842). One of the most accomplished women painters of the 18th century, Vigée Le Brun served as official portraitist to Queen Marie Antoinette, produced over 600 portraits, and became one of the first women admitted to the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture. In this monumental composition, the queen sits regally yet maternally at center in a sumptuous crimson gown edged in gold, a towering powdered wig adorned with a dramatic red velvet hat trimmed in white ostrich plumes and gauze. She gazes calmly outward with poised serenity, cradling the infant Duc de Normandie (future Louis XVII) in white on her lap while her eldest daughter, Madame Royale (Marie Thérèse), leans affectionately against her in a rich red dress with lace cuffs. To the right, the young Dauphin Louis Joseph stands in an elegant blue-and-gold suit, pointing toward the large, draped empty cradle swathed in black fabric — a subtle reference to the recent loss of an earlier child. The opulent Versailles setting features heavy brocade curtains, marble columns, a gilded cabinet topped with a crown, and an ornate floral carpet. The overall mood is one of tender domesticity and royal dignity, yet it carries poignant historical significance: completed just two years before the French Revolution, the painting was intended to humanize the queen as a devoted mother but became a symbol of the monarchy’s final years. It remains one of Vigée Le Brun’s most famous works, blending Rococo elegance with emerging Neoclassical restraint.
Anton Sammut@antonsammut.bsky.social · 4mo ago

My new Maltese novel: Everything in his life works. That’s the problem. The Mask—about the pressure to be normal, and what happens when you stop performing and start being, when a person begins to recognize not what they should become, but what they no longer want to be.

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