Saturday, June 13, 2015

Westlake Park condos, iPic Theaters evacuated in Bethesda

The Westlake Park condominium building was briefly evacuated late this afternoon, as Montgomery County firefighters responded to an apparent false alarm at the Bethesda building.

Around the same time, the iPic Theaters at Pike & Rose were evacuated due to smoke. There was no fire emergency, MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer reports. The source, he says, was a "theatrical smoke" device.

70 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:54 PM

    Dyer finally got around to covering iPic, after nearly 7 1/2 months of total silence.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 5:54: I've yet to receive a single press release, announcement or invitation from iPic. Maybe they need a new PR firm.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous6:09 AM

      So a company doesn't reach out so you intentionally try to "punish" them by not writing about them?

      Delete
    3. 6:09: Or, are they "intentionally trying to 'punish'" me by inviting competing media outlets in for a preview, and not providing the press releases to me that they are sending to other outlets? And is it a smart media strategy to snub a major website covering Bethesda? Does it help garner coverage and promotion to reach Bethesda residents by intentionally snubbing the publisher? It's certainly a novel approach, I'll give them that.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous4:50 PM

      No one said it was smart not to reach out to you. Maybe they don't want to associate with the negativity from you and your commenters? But not posting anything because they don't invite you to their party is not really the high road. :)

      Delete
    5. 4:50:There's no "negativity" from me. Any successful website is going to negative commenters. Based on your theory, iPic could never have advertised in the Washington Post, which has vile, nasty anonymous commenters on most articles it publishes. But - whoops -:iPic did advertise with the Post, thereby obliterating your wacky theory. And you've just acknowledged that you are actively posting your negative comments here in a an attempt to disrupt my website. Thanks for being honest. Unfortunately, your strategy has failed.

      Delete
    6. Robert12:36 PM

      There's no negativity? You can look at any number of your posts where you publicly blast officials and decisions. Or comments where you deride readers and commenters. No negativity. Lol.

      What strategy? Simply wondering if they chose not to associate with you on purpose?

      Even if it's another reason, not writing about them on purpose is the same as writing about something because they did give you something - a bribe, gift, whatever.

      Everyone sees the hypocrosy in this except you.

      Delete
  2. I've got your back, RD!

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  3. Anonymous11:21 AM

    Presumably, if iPic wanted Dyer to cover them, they would reach out. Dyer is on every social platform, email, etc. It's not hard to contact him.

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  4. Anonymous4:15 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  5. Anonymous5:04 PM

    "Hey, we post a bunch of negative comments here. Therefore Dyer is negative."
    Great logic guys. There's always a guy hating on Dyer's success in building this news site. Haters gonna hate.

    Atleast the crazy comments decreased when BethesdaNow.com died. Not a coincidence.

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    1. Anonymous6:11 AM

      BN got bought. I'd say that's pretty good. Made some money. Why doesn't Dyer monetize this site? I don't think readers would mind if he made some money off of it. He needs to make a living too.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous5:19 PM

    "Is it a smart media strategy to snub a major website covering Bethesda?"

    Is that why Dyer deletes all links to, or even any mention of, Bethesda Magazine?

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    1. 5:19: Spam comments get deleted. You're obviously from Bethesda Magazine, as no one else cares.

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    2. Anonymous8:00 PM

      That is such a weird assumption to make, Dyer.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous5:34 PM

    Probably reflects a lack of original content in the magazine. No agenda, just being honest.

    Anyway, who are you that cares whether Dyer links to a specific site?
    Last time I picked up that magazine, it had stuff Dyer reported months ago.

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  8. Anonymous7:27 PM

    The difference is that the Post does not have vile, nasty reporters or columnists. Well, maybe Jen Rubin is the exception that proves the rule.

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  9. Anonymous8:24 PM

    Doubt the general public at large cares about whether Dyer links to a particular site. Just sayin...

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  10. 7:27: I don't even understand what you're talking about at this point. You were claiming it was rare for a successful website to have negative or troll commenters, suggesting you are totally out of touch with the internet in 2005, much less 2015. Wake up and get Hans Riemer's coffee.

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  11. 8:00: If you can produce a single member of the public who wants me not to delete spam comments with irrelevant links to competing publications - and who isn't cowering in fear behind "Anonymous" - by all means, bring them forward. Seriously, who other than an employee of the magazine would want to read spam comments trying to divert traffic to the magazine?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:27 AM

      Yes the spam is idiotic. Yes you should delete them. Yes you should turn off anonymous comments. Yes the good folks use anonymous too. Yes you will have a drop off in comments, good and bad. No, that's just a bad leap to say it "must" be Bethesda Magazine employees.

      Delete
    2. 5:27: It's actually a good "leap" because no one else but magazine employees would care.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous7:06 PM

      Hardly fact based. I don't work for a magazine and I care. Does that mean your logic is now broken? I work for a hospital.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous6:23 AM

    Well, many of his articles read just like advertisements, so he's probably done that already.

    And anyone notice that he's no longer running the junk food review videos since the Big Merger? Is he trying to go upscale now?

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    1. Anonymous7:07 AM

      Actually that's a good point. Maybe he makes money on what he writes. Influenced by corporations as he suggests the county council is. Dyer, we are curious to know if you generate revenue from your blog or is it an unpaid hobby? How do we know your content isn't influenced by big money? Thanks!

      Delete
    2. 6:23: Wait a minute, you're praising the site with the sponsored content articles right above the news articles on the same topic, but at the same time criticizing me with false accusations? I don't know if that's crazier than your claim I haven't uploaded any videos since BM bought BN for an amount so small it can't be stated publicly.

      Delete
    3. 7:07: What do you know about the salaries and compensation, or anything at all really, about the reporters at BM, the Sentinel, MyMCMedia, or the moribund Gazette? Hint: Nothing. Your comments are therefore extremely embarrassing.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous4:06 PM

      Well, the one guy used public art from the Metro plaza as his Twitter profile photo for years. Presumably he's hiding something or from someone. Let's see where his funds are flowing from.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous4:15 PM

      I think the commenters have said enough. Really, Dyer's election results speak for themselves. So no matter if he thinks he is right all the time (which is certainly his right), not many people believe the same thing so he doesn't ever win.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous5:21 PM

      The demise and shuttering of BethesdaNow speaks for itself as well. Aaron Krout has never taken responsibility for running it into the ground.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous7:07 PM

      It got bought. That's a good thing nowadays in the tech world.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous7:26 AM

    I noticed that too. Dyer's traded Big Macs for upscale French baked goods. It's a conspiracy.
    Next thing we know, Dyer will be seen devouring a Kale salad with Councilmember Leventhal. Has he seen the light?

    (Excuse me while I tighten my tinfoil hat.)

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  14. Anonymous9:45 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  15. Anonymous10:00 AM

    I want to see Dyer go to PAUL, order a Brioche bun sliced in three, and take the two all-beef patties special sauce lettuce onions pickles from a smuggled-in Big Mac, reassemble and film himself eating it there.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Steve D.11:47 AM

    "Anonymous said...
    The difference is that the Post does not have vile, nasty reporters or columnists. Well, maybe Jen Rubin is the exception that proves the rule.

    7:27 PM"

    Hmm... I wouldn't be too sure about that. Every paper has its share of nitwits.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous4:07 PM

    They acknowledge which content is sponsored. You don't. And they don't engage in keyword stuffing.

    The merger between Bethesda Now and Bethesda Magazine was announced on April 20, finalized on May 6. You haven't posted any junk food videos on this site during that time.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous4:30 PM

    @ 7:07 AM wrote:

    "Dyer, we are curious to know if you generate revenue from your blog or is it an unpaid hobby? How do we know your content isn't influenced by big money? Thanks!"

    @ 3:26 PM wrote:

    "What do you know about the salaries and compensation, or anything at all really, about the reporters at BM, the Sentinel, MyMCMedia, or the moribund Gazette? Hint: Nothing. Your comments are therefore extremely embarrassing."

    Perfect non-answer. Sounds like he's hiding something. Can you imagine how he would react if he had asked a similar question to Kraut, Riemer or Leventhal, and they had responded just as Dyer did?

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Anonymous4:50 PM

      Did Aaron Krout know he'd be spending his days at Bethesda Magazine writing advertorial for the likes of EYA?
      Guy toiled for years working for the NOW guys and never sniffed a promotion. Now he's stuck doing advertorial.

      Delete
  19. 4:07: Why would I label content that isn't sponsored as sponsored? You're just making things up now. In contrast, sponsored content for a development or business on BM has a favorable article about that same development or business right next to it in the stream. Which is which? It's very interesting that you are more outraged about nonexistent sponsored content on my site, than the actual sponsored content on other sites. Gosh, I wonder why that is...

    The temporary editorial decision to not feature the videos was already in effect a long time before the $1 acquisition of BN by BM. When you're not listening to my greatest hits, you're coming up with all kinds of completely false statements. You may have a future in county government. Or at least, as a Post music critic.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Anonymous6:47 AM

      Who's making stuff up now? Was it $1? Really? How do you know? Please share.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous9:27 AM

      $1 and a sandwich.

      Delete
    3. 6:47: In business, when a company is acquired for a large sum, it is usually made public to emphasize how valuable the acquisition was. When a company sells for $1, they usually don't make that sale price public. So that's "how we know."

      Delete
    4. Anonymous7:10 PM

      So you're saying you don't know.

      Delete
  20. 4:30: Now you're saying there's also reason to believe all of those other local reporters are "hiding something"? The plot thickens.

    Let us know the results of your investigation into their salaries and compensation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous6:50 AM

      Would love to know how everyone makes their money. Just as you say the councilmembers are swayed by their contributors and other blogs are swayed by advertising money - we'd love to hear that you are clean and un-pressured to make pure news decisions without bias.

      Delete
  21. 4:15: The election results speak to corruption in Montgomery County, and control of the local media by the MoCo political machine. Nothing more, nothing less. Check Hans Riemer's campaign checks sometime and enlighten yourself. Note how much is from Wall Street and the K Street lobbyists who represent Wall Street and the health insurance companies. You must not be a progressive if you're comfortable with that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous6:48 AM

      Oh that's right. The singular reason you lost was because of unfavorable media coverage. Or actually zero media coverage.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous6:49 AM

      We did note how much. You said a couple thousand bucks? Not exactly rolling in campaign contribution dough to sway a vote.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous8:15 AM

      Let's be realistic, Robert. Sure, the media didn't cover you (for whatever reason), but it hurts credibility to suggest that is the only one reason you didn't win.

      Delete
    4. 6:49: "A couple thousand bucks"?! Review Riemer's campaign finance reports again! It's tens of thousands.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:33 PM

      What about the competition? Who do you support and who were their campaign contributors?

      Sounds like we need campaign finance reform as the issue here vs Riemer.

      Delete
  22. Anonymous7:07 AM

    I don't know about the other contributions for Riemer, but the one from Bain that Dyer loves to cite was all of $500. That's not even enough to pay for a single mass mailing.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:34 AM

      Did any reporter or blogger ask Riemer why Bain was funding his local campaign? Seems like a relevant question.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:25 AM

      Were there any relevant votes that Riemer made that affected Bain?

      Delete
    3. 7:07: It's more than just Bain - tens of thousands from Wall Street. $4,000 from Danaher Corporation alone, which like Bain is a pioneer in outsourcing jobs to China.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:32 PM

      What policies has Riemer voted on or worked with. That have ties?

      Delete
  23. Anonymous12:35 PM

    Newsweek was bought for $1; The Washington Times was bought for $1. There's precedent for these types of transactions.

    Hull basically wanted the mailing lists/social accounts and buried the rest. (You'd think a magazine would have strong mailing lists already, but go figure.)

    The BethesdaNow website wasn't mobile ready, so it was shut down. The NOW news guys blew mobile big time. And it was hard to run a Bethesda blog from Virginia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:10 PM

      Can you provide some sources?

      Getting the mailing list was a smart move.

      How wasn't the BN site mobile ready?

      I've met Kraut - he lives on Battery Lane. So how is that running it from VA?

      Delete
  24. Anonymous12:50 PM

    12:36 PM
    Dyer has the most read Bethesda news site. I guess folks can choose to not associate with his readers if they choose.

    If you want to only hear good news about our officials and decisions, you certainly have another blog that you can visit (Hans' favorite blogger indeed). It reads exactly like the press releases on the MoCo government site.

    Bethesda residents are the most educated and affluent in the country. They're too smart for that kind of fluff.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:05 PM

      How do you qualify this is the most read? Do you have Analytics for any site?

      Delete
  25. Anonymous5:42 PM

    "If you want to only hear good news about our officials and decisions, you certainly have another blog that you can visit (Hans' favorite blogger indeed). It reads exactly like the press releases on the MoCo government site."

    Apparently you've missed Dyer's ridiculously fawning articles on Larry Hogan.

    "Oooh, Mister Guvner! I'm your biggest fan!"

    ReplyDelete
  26. 12:36: You mean any media outlet that holds public officials accountable is negative? How do you explain IPic buying ads in the Post, then, after all the nasty things they said about Nixon and George Bush? Oh the humanity!

    I've never, ever "derided" readers, only spammers and nasty trolls. Your claim that those intruders are "readers" is just one of your talking points.

    How can I write about something the business declines to provide any information about? How do I cover an event I'm not invited to?

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  27. 7:06: Posting as Anonymous, you can claim anything. Assuming you did work at a hospital, why in the world would you not want spam comments deleted from the blog that have links designed to divert traffic to a competing website?

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  28. 7:07: Not when it's bought for $1.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:24 AM

      How do you know that?

      Delete
  29. Anonymous3:38 PM

    7:10AM The BethesdaNOW site was not mobile ready. That was part of the massive failure, in addition to trying to run it from Virginia.

    It, and all of the NOW News sites, failed the standard mobile friendly tests big time. ARLNow and the rest continue to fail the test. All of the sites have to be redesigned. What a mess. How a news publisher missed mobile, no one knows.

    Dyer's site is mobile ready and loads beautifully on my tablet and phone.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:42 PM

      I only really used the BN site on my phone and never had any issues. Not sure how that's the reason you say it failed lol.

      Delete
  30. Anonymous5:02 AM

    I tried the Gazette using my phone and had no issues with that, either.

    Dyer's mobile site sucks because you're forced to read his "resume" before you can even read one article.

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    1. Anonymous6:11 AM

      Lol yeah and the verification doesn't scale yet moving the screen around is sensitive to paging left and right so it often ditches your comments and loads another article.

      Delete