Bikram Choudhury – the founder of a type of popular type of Yoga – is being sued by Sarah Baughn, a former student of the icon, for sexual discrimination and harassment. The lawsuit alleges that Bikram made numerous unwanted advances against Baughn and that she “fought him off when he sexually assaulted her.” She claims she was subsequently “punished and threatened” for her actions. Baughn – who has won many competitive Yoga championships – has included Bikram’s wife Rajashree (the president of USA Yoga, the organization that governs competitive Yoga) and Bikram’s Yoga College of India, because its staff repeatedly pushed her to keep quiet about their boss’ behavior. Baughn also claims that she was not Choudhury’s only victim. Her lawsuit details how the entire Bikram community has been forced to keep quit regarding their mentor’s behavior, writing as an odd example: “Some of the women were chosen to brush his hair and massage his body,” She adds that two other female Yoga champions slept with Bikram before winning titles. In any case, between this alleged scandal and Lululemon’s see-through yoga pants recall, it’s been quite the month for the wildly popular pastime.
A photo of an Olive Garden receipt – for a free meal given to a family shaken up by a house fire – was shared on Reddit as a simple act of human kindness. Now it’s been picked apart and accused of being a sham. “My brother, wife, 3-year-old daughter and I went to Olive Garden after a recent house fire at my parents,” Reddit user Tanek42 wrote on the site Tuesday. “When the manager asked how everything was, my daughter said, ‘Grandpa’s house burned down.’ We talked for a bit. Here’s how we received the bill.” Total balance due: $0.00. While a few people responded with kudos for the OG manager, many more were skeptical, alleging that this was actually some viral marketing effort. “Why does it say “Duplicate Receipt – Stored Order”? Is this an indication that this is a copy of the receipt, and it may be the manager posting this?” asked one user. Others pointed out that the OG logo was a little too perfectly placed. Before long, the man, or “OP [original poster]” stood accused of working for a company called Grey Worldwide, which is OG’s advertising agency. The image, and the outrage, quickly went viral, prompting Olive Garden’s parent company, Darden, to defend itself and its customers from hoax theories. “The receipt is real and was posted by the guests, not by anyone at Olive Garden or Darden,” said Tara Gray, communication manager for Darden. “We are always looking for ways to surprise and delight guests, and this was one of the ways the Olive Garden team in Vernon Hills, Ill., did that last weekend.” Darden’s marketing firm, Grey Worldwide, also denied any role in it. “Grey had absolutely nothing to do with post concerning Olive Garden,” a representative told Consumerist . “It would be against our code of conduct.” The original poster later chimed in with more details: “At Olive Garden, we were talking to my brother about the fire when the manager stopped by,” he explained. “He asked how everything was and my daughter blurted out ‘Grandpa’s house burned down’. He asked what she just said, and she repeated herself.” “He asked a couple of details like where it happened, when, and if my family had somewhere to stay. I did not expect the bill to get paid, but it was very nice of them!” He laughs at users who still say he’s a marketing maven. “I wish they paid me!” he posted Wednesday afternoon. “I do love Olive Garden, but I don’t work for them. My story is real, sorry to disappoint the mob!”
