I'm taking a lot of flack on my blogspot blog after posting articles about Diva de Loayza. She was a local fashion designer in the Capital District (Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY) who died after her bicycle was hit by a mini-van as she ran a redlight at a very busy intersection in Albany. A number of items are bugging me right now: first, I described Diva as a "fashionista" which simply means she tracks inside the world of fashion. People had problems with that. People had more problems when I referenced the fashion studio she created, which she named "House of Bimbo." GD Stupid people thought I was calling Diva a "Bimbo!"

It gets worse. In one post, I questioned several circumstances surrounding the "accident" - The Mystery Girl has officially been identified. Finally. Albany needs a CSI team. Local cops pegged the accident victim as a teenager or woman in her early 20's! They were only off by 20 years, so while everybody was wondering who the young fashionista was, it turns she's an OLD fashionista. The giveaway (as I told a colleague YESTERDAY, before she was ID'd) that this chick was older was the fact she wasn't wearing a bike helmet. Who goes biking with diamond earrings and designer clothing but loses the helmet? All the hot young bike riding chicks I see (especially the Long Islanders;) have helmets strapped on! Who goes bike riding without any ID? Unfortunately, this gal did. But WHY? Write your name on your leg for heaven's sakes!

Wow! That REALLY pissed some people off. I'll stand by that remark. Word came out in today's Times Union under the headline 'She was an enormous risk taker' :

Hugh de Loayza, an avid biker, said his sister had called him just a few weeks earlier to discuss her renewed interest in cycling.

"She had an exercise regimen, and she was transferring that to a new sport," he said.

That nails it. The woman had power, beauty, she was physically fit and had money to boot. Why was she not wearing one of those chic bike helmets all the young girls wera? (She obviously wanted to be young and beautiful: indeed, the cops and rescue workers thought the accident victim was a "young woman in her late teens or early to mid twenties." And not a stitch of ID. Okay, let's break it down. How many times have you gone out to "do something quickly" and maybe drove the car somewhere nearby, leaving your wallet or purse and ID behind? Not the smartest thing to do, but we've all done it. Problem is, it done Diva in. My guess is she was probably enjoying the ride, her mind was churning out some new fashion concept, she was engrossed in thought, sailed thru the red light, and --- the end. Back to the paper:

At the age of 20, Diva was diagnosed with lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease. The disease only increased her drive to succeed in life, her mother said.

"She said, 'Mom, I have a life; I'm going to New York,' " her mother said. "She was a star that was at the zenith of her power."

Hugh de Loayza said the family has set up a fund in Diva's name with the New York Bicycling Coalition, which has launched a Share the Road program to be taught in driver education classes. The program also encourages riders to wear helmets and carry identification. De Loayza was doing neither when she was hit; for the first two days she was in the hospital, her identity was unknown. Some Girls will sell the "We (heart) Diva" shirts. A portion of the proceeds will go to the coalition.

Hey, Hugh, how about a "Diva" bike helmet which has a see-through insert somewhere underneath where a person could either slide in their driver's lic. or other ID, OR have one of those blank ID's you find in a newly purchased wallet.

In conclusion, Diva should not have had to die to get an initiative like this going:  imagine if she had thought of this and led a campaign:  hey, maybe that's what she was thinking about when...