Philonomics – A Science of Common Sense

Philonomics is a new social science first launched in 2022  at a School in the Tonkolili District of Sierra Leone. The name Philonomics was conceived by a civil engineer, Michael Thomas in 2010.

Philonomics can be launched at anytime, anywhere.

As Michael Thomas writes in the Swindon Advertiser:

I believe most of crises that threaten humanity (not just global warming) are related to economic growth, which is the main cause of the inequality between rich and poor and the unsustainable use of fossil fuels.

Hence I am suggesting the development of a new science which I am calling Philonomics. My suggested definition is:

• The study of the equitable production and fair distribution of goods and services globally in a sustainable manner
• Science relating to the fair and equitable development and regulation of the material and human resources of a community or nation in a manner that does not prejudice human needs in the present nor the ability of future generations to meet their needs
• Science related to international social justice and the ecologically sustainable production and fair distribution of material wealth and knowledge.

The rules of economics that deliver the bulk of the world’s resources to the rich nations of the world, are a crime against humanity as a whole.

Global warming threatens us all and therein lies a seed of hope for a fairer world in which we may all increasingly have to view the natural forces of nature as our greatest enemy.

https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/yoursay/1431721.plenty-of-ways-to-save-energy/

 

A simple water tank in a desert region

A simple water tank in a desert region
One of the main problems of the Thar Desert Region of southern Pakistan is a lack of a regular water supply.  Poor women walk long distances to collect water, which is usually brackish, from deep borewells.  Other problems are the shortage of fuelwood and the smoke created by cooking on open fires.  The water problem can be alleviated to a large extent by providing families with a 2.4 m deep ‘urn-shaped’ tank below ground level with a capacity of 3,000 litres (nearly 700 gals).  These will catch the monsoon rains and usually provide enough drinking water for families during six months of the dry season.
The internal shape of the tank enables it to be constructed using a very thin lining of cement /sand mortar.

How the tanks are constructed:

An urn-shaped hole is hand excavated to a depth of
2.4 m .

The faces of the hole are plastered with cement and water and then lined with a one and a half inch thickness of 1:4 cement/sand mortar.

After 12 hours the hole is filled with sand to enable slow curing.  The sand iis then built up above the surface to form a turret.

The turret is plastered with a 75 mm thickness of mortar.

A 75 mm thick slab is formed around the tank to collect monsoon rainwater. (A small hole is made in the turret to channel water into the finished cistern).

The fill material is kept moist for 5 days and then removed
after 7 days.

Tank catchment 21 sq m
Storage capacity 3,000 litres
Costs in 2004:
Materials cost £12
Labour cost £7
Total cost £19

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