Trust me, the EWS tests are much louder then a cannon firing.
I don't know why you guys are so bent on giving me an unhappiness penalties for putting cannons in my cities.
Its a tradition, they've been doing it for hundreds of years, they are used to it by now. They'd be more upset if the cannons stopped firing. Its part of the culture, just like holding a fork with your right hand or using toilet paper instead of leaves.