Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill this week became The Banks’ newest tenant, opening its red, white and blue doors and offering “family friendly” lunch and dinner, ongoing live performances and a guitar-shaped bar where patrons can drink beer out of Mason jars. The official website says its family friendliness makes it “the perfect spot for everyone,” though it is assumed to have instituted some kind of protocol for children who accidentally view one of the “Whiskey Girls” the restaurant prides itself on offering (“Don’t close your eyes, Billy! It’s just the American way!”). There currently aren’t many online reviews of the restaurant, but at least one proud American has braved the giant, Country music-themed complex and come away with an experience worth mentioning on Metromix’s online listing. User “couintrymusiccincy” (sic) was disappointed by his experience, describing a waitress that had a bad attitude and thought she was so cute she should be Miss Universe. “Couintrymusiccincy” advised the restaurant to fire her, and noted that he would return if managers hire “pretty and legitimate waitresses” like the Las Vegas and Tulsa, Ok., locations do. In addition to the Whiskey Girls, who apparently are allegedly “more worried about their reflection than about getting an order right” (classic Couintrymusiccincy complaint), the bar/grill/stage/conference plaza offers American and Southern cuisine such as friend bologna sandwiches and pan-fried ribs. Burger names include the “American Soldier” (Toby’s classic burger with cheese), “She’s a Hottie Burger” (melted pepperjack cheese, Hatch Valley Chiles and crispy onion straws) and “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” (Bacon, cheddar and Toby’s BBQ sauce topped with crispy onion rings). Dessert offerings include deep-fried Twinkies, “All American Apple Pie” and "Saddam's Head Pudding" (just kidding). The décor relies heavily on a “Country cliché” aesthetic to ensure that guests don’t forget they’re in a bar owned by the guy whose artistic response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2011 was to write a song titled “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),” which called upon the wrath of Uncle Sam, a personified Statue of Liberty and an eagle (flying, of course) to serve justice to goddam terrorists across the globe. The chorus is enough to make even the most cowardly among us raise a Mason jar in defiance.“Ohhh Justice will be served, and the battle will rage/This big dog will fight, when you rattle his cage/And you'll be sorry that you messed with the U.S. of A./'Cause we'll put a boot in your ass, it's the American Way.” It’s enough to bring a tear to one’s eye and cause a man to mistake his fellow American brother with one of the Whiskey Girls and tie on a big, patriotic hug (“Sorry man, I ain’t gay I just love this song and my country and when Middle Eastern people get killed." *Sniffs*). For those interested in more information or to see the many other creative names TKILB&G has come up with for typical bar food, the official website is www.countrybaroh.com. For scary homemade videos set to “Angry American” just search YouTube. 

It's always good news when a multi-million dollar investment turns out to reap more than it sows. So it goes with the city of Cincinnati's 2011 $3.6 million investment in its expanded recycling program. According to a report delivered to City Council's strategic growth committee, 18,880 tons of waste were diverted from Rumpke landfill in 2011. The expanded recycling program featured three key changes, including doling out recycling carts to every household eligible for curbside recycling, the highly successful Recyclebank incentive program and switching pick-ups to every other week instead of weekly. According to Sue Magness, Recycling Coordinator for the city of Cincinnati's Office of Environmental Quality, the jump marks a 75 percent increase in household recycling participation since prior to the expansion's implementation; the city earned 20,000 new recyclers during the transition. Cincinnati reached an all-time recycling low in 2007, when only 10,850 tons were recycled. Since then, rates have been slowly increasing, says Magness, thanks to strong local proponents and a serious focus on easing the process of recycling. The numbers are encouraging, says Magness, but she's confident rates could continue to increase with higher community awareness and education. "Based on waste audits, we know what 60 percent of what's going into the landfill is recyclable," she says. "That's 32,000 tons that people are still putting in the wrong can." The popular Recyclebank program, according to Magness, has proven to be the a strong ally in increasing recycling rates. The average recycler, she says, earns about $250 in coupons and savings just by recycling. Promoting multi-family recycling and continuing to improve recycling technologies will help. The next big step in boosting participation? Instituting a pay-as-you-throw program in every Cincinnati municipality. She admits it's a lofty goal — and likely far off from actually being implemented in Cincinnati — but it's also one that's proven most effective in the 8,000 communities across the country that currently have such programs in place. "Just like with other utilities, when you have to pay to use something, you're more cautious. Here, you can consume, consume, consume and throw away as much as you want with no penalty."