@arielkroon yes! I am already building out the technical side of things, using javascript and some server-side code.

Sitting in on tonight's Kitchener council meeting, where we've just started the first of 29 delegations about the proposed ban on the sale of fireworks.

First up is a business owner, who reiterates that he's a responsible seller and goes on to say "if I can't sell inspected, regulated fireworks, it's easy for someone to pick up one of these improvised, unregulated products..." *proceeds to hold up a plastic bag full of fuses and explosive material that he brought into city hall* 😅

lol, omg

Retrontario points out Noreen Young, the puppet maker and puppeteer on READLALONG died a few recently. She also made the puppets for Today's Special and Téléfrançais.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noreen_Young

#ontario #tvo #retrontario

@Shanmonster If you have a story concept that takes advantage of these tech tools, I would work with you to actually implement it on the web :)

Posted this not because I 100% agree, but because it’s a useful discussion to have, especially when NDP and Greens (both parties which I have been a member of) are looking to rebuild. I’m curious how the NDP’s system of affiliate membership for organizations can give a voice to civil society and grassroots organizations. Is the party willing to loosen the reins, broaden the tent, and allow for true debate at policy conventions as they move forward?

“In response, we desperately need a renewed left-wing politics in this country, one that is unified under a single party umbrella. […] If such unification is to take place within the NDP, then the party needs to return to its roots and be a champion of working-class interests rooted in the communities it represents. Centrist social democracy has not and will not replace the Liberals.” #cdnPoli

https://www.readthemaple.com/total-catastrophe-was-avoided-but-canada-is-heading-rightward/

@Shanmonster @arielkroon @sayyid_qishta @oldladyplays @jamesbow @Lynnd @robdrimmie @danielleganza @johannab @ElectricDryad @clawhammercrone We are prioritizing submissions from Waterloo-Wellington, I would love to see if you have a concept to submit!

Attn writers and artists in #Waterloo #Wellington #Guelph #Kitchener #Cbridge — im teaming up with Textile Magazine to curate a collection of pieces on the topic of “New Hypermedia: Subverting Big Tech”.

How can we reimagine the web as a medium for creative by using the tools of surveillance capitalism in new and subversive ways?

More info here, including a link to join an office hours drop-in session this Friday May 9: https://textilekw.ca/news/new-hypermedia

#AmWriting #Zine #Literature #Poetry

Nice, good job #Guelph ⚡️ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/university-of-guelph-divests-from-fossil-fuel-companies-1.7525044

@CdnCurmudgeon

Looks like the 'Longest Ballot Committee' is aiming to add 200+ independents to join Poilievre in the Battle River-Crowfoot, AB by-election.

#CdnPoli

A WALK IN THE PARK WITH WILLA COWARD

The ground at Huron Natural Area was slippery with a coating of late-March snow when I met musician and concert photographer Willa Coward for a walk. Despite wearing footwear better suited for dry conditions, we ventured onto the trails to experience the beauty of the area and talk about the local arts scene.

Coward has been playing drums for most of her life, and is a member of the bands Body Nest, One More Lane and A Horse Named Friday. She has training and experience on the saxophone as well, but despite engaging in vocal exercises, Coward does not consider herself a singer.

“I know how to scream pretty well,” she said. “I can go really loud.”

Her talent for large vocal production led Coward to join a screamo band, a punk style which she describes as cathartic, emotional and hardcore. Not content to stick with one style, Coward also plays chamber folk, power violence, psych rock and shoegaze post rock. 

“[I]t really is…all types of music that I’m drawn to,” Coward said. “There’s nothing that really deters me.” 

With such a diverse range of styles in her repertoire, Coward lets the music dictate what she brings to her performance, focusing on the needs of the piece to guide her contribution. 

“I basically come at it with whatever feels right, whatever is adding to the song,” she said.

Originally from Caledon, Coward came to Waterloo to pursue music studies at Laurier and was in her second year when the pandemic hit. Burn-out and the challenges of lockdown meant that she chose to leave the program halfway through. 

“It had been the longest time since I played for the sake of playing, or just for the love of it,” Coward said. “[S]chool and I just didn’t really work well together.”

Coward turned her attention to practice and performance but also invested in building the local music community. As we walked along the boardwalk surrounding the pond before heading up another slippery trail, Coward talked about the importance of bringing people together to experience shows, and the emotions that can accompany music.

“I just wanted there to be more music, more things for people to go to, because…they’re pretty necessary,” Coward said. “COVID hit, and everything just became so scattered and dispersed. There wasn’t really that core…to tie people together.”

The community in the region felt welcoming to Coward, which is why she wanted to invest in building local shows. She described people showing up for the love of the scene, and relationships growing from those connections. 

“I feel like…we have a very good community based here, especially in terms of music,” she said.

Community and music connect through photography, another artistic outlet that Coward pursues. She brought her camera when she went to music venues, and began shooting the shows that she was attending, learning through trial and error.

“I didn’t know what I was doing at all. I was winging it!” Coward said. “It was just something I hold really close to heart. It’s nice to have that documentation…to say that it happened, and it was important to a lot of people.”

Coward shoots music shows on a film camera, preferring that medium to digital. Film facilitates other connections; people will approach her at shows to talk about her technique and process. Coward told me about finding a local store to develop film.

“[It’s] run by the sweetest older couple who I would trust with my life,” she said.

We left the trail area and returned to the covered shelter by the natural playground with a view of the art murals to finish our conversation. For Coward, coming to Huron Natural Area meant a return to a site of fond memories. Two years ago, she spent part of her birthday on a hike here at a time of year when the landscape was green and lush.

“I remember being so taken aback by it…I could have walked for hours,” she said.

For Coward, green spaces are where she can focus on herself and be solitary while appreciating nature. Being outside allows her to connect to the sensory experience and helps her when dealing with difficult situations.

“It’s very calming,” she said. “It puts you back into your body.”

We finish our interview by discussing movies. Coward enjoys films that show a quiet reflection of daily life, as well as off-beat cult comedy classics, a further example of the variety of art that she surrounds herself with.  

With a handful of new movie recommendations each, we ended our discussion and parted ways, and Willa Coward returned to her life and work in the community of local artists 

#AWalkInThePark #AmyNeufeld #artisticOutlet #boardwalk #Caledon #Column #COVID #CraigBecker #HuronNaturalArea #localMusic #Love #musicStudies #performance #photography #relationships #scene #waterloo #willaCoward

@flyingsquirrel @uxmark @waterlooregion

We've set up ActivityPub integration for The Community Edition website, so you can also follow @communityedition 😄

Super looking forward to FPtP supporters and #ProportionalRepresentation critics explaining how Poilievere getting a $1M "Swap the Flop" do-over right after being dumped in his own riding conforms to the FPtP principles of
~ the importance of personal local representation, and
~ how if you dump someone in an election, they're gone.
#cdnpoli

It's #FairTradeMusicFriday on the #Fediverse. You can check out a whole bunch of indie music folks at the site below (plus bonus cat graphic) or follow along at @ftmf. 🐦‍⬛

https://isitfairtrademusicfri.day

#Mirlo #Music #FTMF #Musicians #IndieArtists

Thanks for the love!

@mixtape @mirlo

As for my own music, I dropped a new drum & bass inspired track called Spinning. Check it out on Mirlo & Bandcamp :)

https://mirlo.space/samnabi/release/spinning

https://samnabi.bandcamp.com/track/spinning

#BandcampFriday #FairTradeMusicFriday

Happy #BandcampFriday / #FairTradeMusicFriday, everybody!

Last month I cancelled my Apple Music subscription so that I could use that money to directly support indie artists. I've since bought a vinyl release by hometown hereos Softcult (https://softcult.bandcamp.com/) and I can't wait to see what you all have to share today.

After Conestoga College announced it’s closing its downtown #Kitchener campus and laying off 150 staff, we’re already starting to see knock-on effects.

I went out for dinner last night, and three different restaurants were closed at 7:30pm on a Wednesday. Two had lights off with no sign on the door, the other said “temporarily closed as of April 27”. These are all independent businesses that opened in the last few years thanks in part to the new downtown college campus. Hard times :(

#WatReg

Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation & Mikisew Cree Nation
explain what's what to Premier Danielle Smith ...