I can't believe that everyone seems to think GN'R aren't in on this.

Of course Dr. Pepper says GN'R isn't involved and of course GN'R says they aren't involved. The whole promotion is based on the idea that this is a challenge to Axl to release the album and that there isn't anything in it for Mr. Rose other than seeing Dr. Pepper give everyone a free drink. If they admit Axl is involved then you know it's promotion and you know the album is coming. The challenge is over before it even began.

Let's pretend Axl isn't in on it. Think what happens if the album doesn't come out. Dr. Pepper will run with this campaign probably all year (or at least into the fall). It will make people interested in the band and get their hopes up. Then no album. Axl ends up looking bad, Dr. Pepper ends up looking bad, the whole thing just has no payoff. No...if Axl wasn't in on this he wouldn't have issued his release. He'd have issued Cadbury/Schwepps a legal document instead, because he'd be pissed at how this would end up making him look.

And if the album does come out then Dr. Pepper is on the hook for the cost of the free drinks. Yes they can estimate it and yes it won't be as high as 300 million x $0.80 but it will still be an unquantified liability. Why would they open themselves up to this potential hit if they didn't have some sort of payoff negotiated with GN'R? Answer: they wouldn't. They will do something with GN'R, like be the sole drink provider on the tour or something of that nature. Companies don't just open themselves up to uncertain liability, and for what? A cheap bit of media attention for a day or two before the likely event that Axl shoots them down through his lawyers?

If you're going to question my education level and knowledge of history, be sure your's surpasses my own.  Polluxm's example begs many questions.  I believe Culture and Religion are intertwined.  So which one affects the other more?  If the church is responsible for holding back scientific progress, why had the tribes in Africa and North America not even create the wheel or written language?  They had never heard of Cathloicism.

There's more to Polluxm's argument than is being shown here, let's just say he makes many assumptions about things you probably haven't considered.  The greatest advances in science came from Europe under the "rule" of the church.

I'm not arguing that the Catholic church hasn't be influenced by corruption and has done things I don't agree with, I'm simply stating that they're not evil and certainly not the most evil.  From the short list of reasons why Polluxlm considers the Church to be evil, don't you think the Islamic faith would better fit those?  Who has trampled on women's rights and impeded cultural and scientific growth more than Islam?

jesus ended up being born just near the winter solstice and was resurected at spring solstice?

they were fabricated times to get pagans to convert to christianity...jesus' birthday wasnt really dec 25th and rumor has it that the deciples moved his body to a secret proper burial place as soon as the opportunity arose

same with St Patrick...did he really lead the snakes and rats out of ireland? or are the snakes and rats actually the pagan gods..things that make ya go hmmmmm