some thing i heard, nicki in a cult ?

[nibbler01]

a bud of mine who is stationed in japan and is married to a japones women sent me an email. his wife is an avid fan of BSG . he wrote me to say his wife was surfing the net and found a web site( she cant remember where) that says nicki is in a cult. she has promissed to try to find it again but i havent heard from them in a couple of weeks . duzz anybody know anything about this?

[Solium]

This "story" came to my attention when someone pointed to a similar topic that (to my knowledge) began on IMDB.

Here's the facts as I know them. Nicki took some courses in personal development. These courses were produced by someone whom marketed personal development courses. Those courses have help Nicki mature and grow as a person.
If you have ever seen Nicki at a convention or in an interview three years ago compared to say a year ago you would see how her communication skills have matured.

What exactly this marketing company is, other than a producer of personal development courses and Nicki's involvement with the marketing company, (if any) is a matter of opinion and hear say.

[nibbler01]

thanks sorry it took me so long to reply i have been busy.i still havent found out where she saw this. also i must say that i agree totaly with your conclusion. RM while o fine writer does tend to go over board some times. but that is my personal opinion for what ever its worth (not much)

[Wellington]

Nicki's involvement with the NXIVM cult has been a curiosity of mine since I first heard of it. After all, what does she need with a cult? After doing some research I've become very skeptical of Nicki's pet projects, though none have ever gone past the planning stages. You may recall that she was planning a website at one time "for college students" and also used her fame to get students to fill out a rather extensive and personal survey for unclear reasons. At any rate, I still love her in Battlestar and hope to see her acting more in the future. As for the side projects, I'd be quite wary.

If you'd like some more information on this, might I recommend this 14 page forum discussion entitled "A Cappella Innovations" which includes posts by Nicki herself:

http://forum.rarb.org/forum/viewtopic.php?...der=asc&start=0

Now, I don't typically read college a cappella forums but this particular discussion unfolds like a good mystery novel and is full of intrigue, coercion, logical and ethical arguments, and philosophical debate. The story begins in Albany, NY where a group of college students attending an a cappella convention come to believe that their hosts (including Nicki Clyne) may actually be trying to indoctrinate them into a cult known as NXIVM (pronounced "nexium").

They first notice something is up when event coordinators pressure them for personal information and social security numbers. They also notice that every waking moment they are being extensively video taped and photographed. After the first day of the seminar the students return to their hotel and begin to google search the event's sponsor only to discover that A Cappella Innovations was created by man named Keith Raniere who also "invented" a process called Rational Inquiry that he feels "represents the change humanity needs in order to alter the course of history". Their research leads them to believe that the sponsors might be interested in more than simply providing feedback on a cappella performances.

This discussion is made up of posts by students who just returned home from the conference, TV stars Nicki Clyne (Battlestar Galactica) and Allison Mack (Smallville) who were event coordinators at the conference, and various board members of the alleged "cult" including it's creator, Keith Raniere and second in command, Nancy Salzman.

I admit that most people may not find this to be light reading but I found sorting through everyone's descriptions of events and the slowly emerging profile of the A Cappella Innovations company fascinating. Are they a front for the NXIVM cult or just a philanthropic organization? What were they trying to accomplish with these kids? And who pooped in the hotel dresser drawers? And of course this discussion would never have been possible without the awesome critical thinking and analysis skills of various a capella group members, some of whom are also studying patent law, intellectual property rights, and philosophy.

[Solium]

Wellington I have read that information before. I am sure the comments are sincere and the students were expressing real surprise and frustration with the event.

This is one event that Nicki hosted and to my knowledge there's been no information to suggest Nicki was directly involved with the coordination of that event.

Keep in mind Nicki has been very busy the last few years attending Sci Fi and comic book conventions and there is not one single instance of a fan saying Nicki handed out propaganda information or tried to get anyone to join a cult group.

Regarding her "businesses" not materializing. Well there's not a day someone dosent announce or start up a "new" business with the best of intentions involved. Often times businesses never get off the ground much less last their first 12 months in operation.

Anyway just playing the devils advocate here.