In the TMU, the Toronto Mike Universe, we use the hashtag #SORFH when someone passes away. We'll also use it when something dies. #SORFH stands for Shout Out to Ridley Funeral Home.

The Tesla Cybertruck is dying. It's the end of an error. Elon Musk made the announcement on his social media platform. Tesla will wind down production of the vehicle at its factory in Austin, Texas.

I hate the Tesla Cybertruck, for a variety of reasons:

1. I hate Elon Musk. He just spent $445 million to boost Republicans in the midterms. His activities with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) should be criminally investigated. And he ruined my favourite social media platform.
2. It's ugly. I don't want to see that dumpster on the road. It's the dumbest automobile I've ever seen. Truly a Hummer for this generation.
3. Those who buy one, and thankfully there aren't many willing to drop almost 200k on an ugly, useless truck, are typically the worst people. I don't know a Cybertruck bro, but I do see them in the wild and think "what an asshole".

If you bought a Cybertruck, and live in Toronto, I'm still keen to talk to you for Toronto Mike'd. I have questions!

Welcome to this week's Open Mike. I'm Mike and I'll be your master of ceremonies for the day.

Feel free to use this space to vent, rant,  share a story and/or ask a question of the FOTM hivemind.

I wouldn't claim to be a loyal following of salon.com, but I've occasionally clicked over to read an article shared on social media or reddit. The American news and opinion website has seemingly always been there, because it was. It launched in 1995.

Today, November 5th, 2026, it shut down. Here's the final article, posted at 2:28PM EST.

Today, after 31 years, we are saddened to announce that Salon is ceasing publication.

It’s difficult to find the right words for the end of something that has meant so much to so many people. Salon was never just a website. It was an idea about what journalism could be, born at a moment when the internet was still a largely unexplored frontier.

When Salon launched in November 1995, the web was a very different place. A small group of journalists set out to create something original: a publication with a strong voice, a curiosity about the world and a belief that the internet could bring journalism and readers together in new ways. They helped pioneer a form of journalism that would come to define an entirely new era of publishing.

Over three decades, Salon has brought together politics, culture, criticism and ideas in a way that was distinctly our own. Our journalism examined power and politics, questioned assumptions, surfaced stories that deserved attention and made room for perspectives that were too often overlooked. Our writers and editors helped shape conversations about the forces changing our lives. The work was never simply about keeping up with the news. It was about making sense of it.

The history of Salon is also the history of the people who made it. We are profoundly grateful to the journalists, editors, photographers, producers, designers, business teams and countless other colleagues who brought this publication to life across its many chapters. To the founders who imagined it, the staff members who built it, the contributors who gave it their voices and the alumni who carried its spirit into the world: Thank you. Salon’s legacy belongs to all of you.

We also want to thank our readers. You came to Salon for the journalism, the dialogue, the essays, the criticism, the unexpected discoveries and the sense that there was a place on the internet where ideas mattered. You read, shared, challenged, subscribed, wrote to us and kept coming back. Your engagement made Salon a publication and a community, and it gave our work meaning. We are so grateful for the time you spent with us.

The business realities of independent digital journalism have changed profoundly over the years. After careful consideration, we have reached the difficult decision that our publishing model is no longer sustainable. We know this news will be deeply disappointing to many of you, and we share that sadness.

Thirty-one years is a remarkable run, but what matters most is what happened during those years: the journalism, the ideas, the voices, the conversations and the community that grew around them. Salon helped demonstrate what digital journalism could be and could become. We hope that legacy will continue to matter long after today.

Thank you for being part of our story. It has been an extraordinary privilege.

Salon

The timing is interesting because Salon covered the American midterm elections on Monday night, which resulted in a blue tsunami.

On this 2009th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with singer songwriter Katie Dauson about her music, selling out the El Mocambo, raising awareness with TV and radio ads, why she creates art and how she benefits from her loving and supportive parents.  This episode is exactly 1:07:10.

You can listen to this episode in a variety of ways:

• Listen on Apple Podcasts
• Follow on Spotify
• Follow on Amazon Music
• Subscribe on Podcast Addict
• Subscribe via Overcast
• Listen on tunein
• Subscribe directly to the feed at https://www.torontomike.com/podcast/rss/

There is a version of Toronto Mike'd without programmatic ads available to all Patrons. Consider becoming one at https://www.patreon.com/torontomike.

Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Retro Festive, Electronic Products Recycling Association, Palma Pasta, Nick Ainis and Ridley Funeral Home.

On this 2008th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with MasterChef Canada contestant Monika Baird about her experience on the show, her career as a child actor, her role in saving Sneaky Dee's and being a member of the Toronto-based lesbian social group called “The Vortex.”  This episode is exactly 59:08.

You can listen to this episode in a variety of ways:

• Listen on Apple Podcasts
• Follow on Spotify
• Follow on Amazon Music
• Subscribe on Podcast Addict
• Subscribe via Overcast
• Listen on tunein
• Subscribe directly to the feed at https://www.torontomike.com/podcast/rss/

There is a version of Toronto Mike'd without programmatic ads available to all Patrons. Consider becoming one at https://www.patreon.com/torontomike.

Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Retro Festive, Electronic Products Recycling Association, Palma Pasta, Nick Ainis and Ridley Funeral Home.

On this 2007th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with David Rider, Senior Political Reporter at The Toronto Star, as they count down the Top 10 Toronto Election #FunFacts.  This episode is exactly 1:11:52.

You can listen to this episode in a variety of ways:

• Listen on Apple Podcasts
• Follow on Spotify
• Follow on Amazon Music
• Subscribe on Podcast Addict
• Subscribe via Overcast
• Listen on tunein
• Subscribe directly to the feed at https://www.torontomike.com/podcast/rss/

There is a version of Toronto Mike'd without programmatic ads available to all Patrons. Consider becoming one at https://www.patreon.com/torontomike.

Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Retro Festive, Electronic Products Recycling Association, Palma Pasta, Nick Ainis and Ridley Funeral Home.

On this 2006th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with Dr. Cliff Redford - The Worldwide Vet, about his new memoir Far and Wild and his life and travels as a veterinarian without borders.  This episode is exactly 1:23:33.

You can listen to this episode in a variety of ways:

• Listen on Apple Podcasts
• Follow on Spotify
• Follow on Amazon Music
• Subscribe on Podcast Addict
• Subscribe via Overcast
• Listen on tunein
• Subscribe directly to the feed at https://www.torontomike.com/podcast/rss/

There is a version of Toronto Mike'd without programmatic ads available to all Patrons. Consider becoming one at https://www.patreon.com/torontomike.

Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Retro Festive, Electronic Products Recycling Association, Palma Pasta, Nick Ainis and Ridley Funeral Home.

Jerry Koosman was a two-time all-star pitcher and member of the 1969 World Series champion Miracle Mets, posting a 17–9 record with a 2.28 ERA and 180 strikeouts.

Every once in a while, someone you know writes a book. And when that someone is a friend, there's a natural inclination to tell people about it.

In my last full-time job as a digital marketing guy for a B2B software company, I worked from home with a global crew. That job ran on Skype, and caused me to quickly realize I could never work in an office again. One of the people I worked with was a sales person named Larry Walsh.

Larry and I often spoke via Skype about baseball (he was a White Sox fanatic), life and how things at this company could be improved. He was older than I was, so I felt I had a lot to learn from his experience. I enjoyed my years working with Larry and was sad to say goodbye in 2018.

But I don't want to recommend a book simply because I know the guy who wrote it. I want to recommend it because there's something worthwhile inside.

That's why I want to tell you about Larry Walsh Sr.'s Trusting the Universe: Life Lessons.

It's a collection of stories from Larry's life, and the lessons he's taken from them. Growing up in a big Irish family on Chicago's South Side, learning from his older brother, navigating the ups and downs of family life, building a career, making mistakes, and figuring things out along the way.

What I like about the book is that Larry doesn't pretend he had everything figured out. Quite the opposite. Many of the lessons come from experiences he didn't fully understand at the time.

There's a story about his older brother Jim, who took him along on his early-morning paper route, bought him his first bicycle, and eventually helped him get his foot in the door of a career in computers. What might have seemed like ordinary acts of kindness at the time turned out to have a lasting impact on Larry's life.

That's one of the recurring ideas in the book: sometimes the things that shape us most don't look particularly significant when they're happening. We only recognize their importance years later.

Larry also writes about his father, who died when Larry was just 20. He reflects on the wisdom his father tried to pass along, and how much more clearly he understands those lessons now. There are stories about raising four children, his marriage, professional setbacks, personal growth, and the importance of recognizing the people who make a difference in our lives.

The book is full of reminders that are easy to agree with but sometimes difficult to practice: take responsibility, keep your dreams alive, don't be afraid to fail, listen when someone needs to be heard, and let people know they matter while you still have the opportunity.

I particularly like that last one.

Trusting the Universe: Life Lessons isn't a book that promises to change your life with some grand formula. It's one man's account of a life lived, mistakes made, people loved, and lessons learned.

And perhaps that's what makes it appealing. We all have our own collection of experiences that make more sense in retrospect. Larry has taken the time to share his.

I'm happy to give a friend's book a plug, especially when I think there's something here worth reading.

If you're interested in a thoughtful collection of personal stories about family, relationships, resilience, and the lessons life teaches us, give Larry Walsh Sr.'s Trusting the Universe: Life Lessons a look.

I'm glad he wrote it, and I'm glad I get to share it with you.

I can't remember when I first heard the term El Niño, but I feel like it's only been the past decade. Apparently we're experiencing the biggest El Niño yet, and it's really changed this fall in Toronto.

El Niño is a natural climate pattern characterized by the periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. The result thus far for Toronto has been a milder than usual October, and this should continue through the rest of 2026.

As a daily cyclist, it's been grand. I only remember one morning when I needed to wear gloves, and I've yet to don a jacket. Trick or treating last night with my youngest I felt overly warm in my hoodie. This morning I was raking leaves in a thin long-sleeved top and I was hot. That's pretty wild for November.

I run a de-humidifier in the basement year-round, and typically as we head into October it's rarely running. That's not the case in 2026. This is by far the most humid autumn I can remember.

But this doesn't mean we won't get our typicaly deep freezes and snowfalls this winter, it just means it will overall be milder and the wintry weather won't persist.

It'll be a tough year for those in Toronto who have backyard rinks.

On this 2005th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with Brad Gushue and Stephen Brunt about Gushue: The Making of a Champion, a memoir by Olympic curling gold medalist and six-time Brier champion Brad Gushue, co-written with award-winning journalist Stephen Brunt.  This episode is exactly 1:05:02.

You can listen to this episode in a variety of ways:

• Listen on Apple Podcasts
• Follow on Spotify
• Follow on Amazon Music
• Subscribe on Podcast Addict
• Subscribe via Overcast
• Listen on tunein
• Subscribe directly to the feed at https://www.torontomike.com/podcast/rss/

There is a version of Toronto Mike'd without programmatic ads available to all Patrons. Consider becoming one at https://www.patreon.com/torontomike.

Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Retro Festive, Electronic Products Recycling Association, Palma Pasta, Nick Ainis and Ridley Funeral Home.

In an article for Unity Health Toronto, broadcast journalist Reshmi Nair has gone public with her recent health battle as she continues to recover from a stroke.

In February 2026, Reshmi Nair was at her East York home when, without warning, the left side of her body stopped working. The 44-year-old former CBC and CTV broadcast journalist had spent the morning out with a friend. After returning home, greeting her dog and sitting down on the couch, she suddenly lost the ability to move and speak. Her thoughts remained clear, and she immediately understood what was happening.

February 2026 was mere days after Reshmi Nair visited me for episode 1832 of Toronto Mike'd in which she joined Supriya Dwivedi to tell me what it's like for a woman of colour to have a prominent hosting role on AM talk radio.

Just a couple of months prior, she showed up at our annual TMLX event at Palma's Kitchen after making her Toronto Mike'd debut in late October.

I'm glad Reshmi went public with this, because it reminds us that strokes don't discrimate by age. This isn't something that only happens to elderly or unwell people. Reshmi was a seemingly healthy 44-year old when she suffered her stroke.

For Dr. Alexandra Muccilli, neurologist and medical director of the Stroke Program at St. Michael’s Hospital, Nair’s experience serves as a reminder that stroke does not discriminate by age.

“There is a common misconception that strokes only happen to older people or those with significant medical problems,” says Muccilli. “But stroke can happen to anyone, including young, otherwise healthy adults. That’s why it’s so important for everyone to recognize the signs.”

The best news of all is this:

Eight months after her stroke, Nair is living independently and driving again, milestones that once seemed far from certain.

I hope to see my friend again soon. You've got this, Reshmi!

Welcome to this week's Open Mike. I'm Mike and I'll be your master of ceremonies for the day.

Feel free to use this space to vent, rant,  share a story and/or ask a question of the FOTM hivemind.

On this 2004th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with Simon Evans about his years at Much Music hosting City Limits, The Wedge and being a VJ before moving to Space TV and, upon being packaged out, Hollywood Suite.  This episode is exactly 1:40:09.

You can listen to this episode in a variety of ways:

• Listen on Apple Podcasts
• Follow on Spotify
• Follow on Amazon Music
• Subscribe on Podcast Addict
• Subscribe via Overcast
• Listen on tunein
• Subscribe directly to the feed at https://www.torontomike.com/podcast/rss/

There is a version of Toronto Mike'd without programmatic ads available to all Patrons. Consider becoming one at https://www.patreon.com/torontomike.

Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Retro Festive, Electronic Products Recycling Association, Palma Pasta, Nick Ainis and Ridley Funeral Home.

Patrick Stewart was the actor best known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men.