I was having a good night and you go and mention the companion cube. Poor thing. I didn't have a choice!
For what it's worth, I've also noticed the same thing where I live in Tennessee. Smoked for 21 years (from 11 to 32), and while there are still a ton of smokers in my little hick town, it's much less than before.
I'm curious, how does that work for people from remote villages? India still have a pretty large population who live traditional lifestyles with limited access to the Internet, don't y'all? Do they have the option of more traditional paper documents, or do they have to find a computer somewhere to use for certain things?
In addition, they've been made fully illegal without a slab foundation in many places. In Tennessee, they're referred to as "ready removeable" buildings, and the state hated so much that poor people were actually finding a way to get housing that they passed a bunch of laws making it so everything had to have a slab foundation, which really fucked trailers and trailer parks for a while, too.
Yeah, they're not a great solution, but they were a way for poor folks to actually own something. Now they're so outrageously expensive it's often cheaper to buy a full sized 2 bed/bath home than it is to live in a shed on a patch of land your buddy owns
Ahhh, yeah, I've never seen that one
That's funny, I just had a similar conversation with my priest this morning, when we were discussing the Bhagavad Gita!
Can confirm. I drank basically nothing but sweet tea from the ages of like 10 until I was in my mid twenties, only supplementing with mountain dew.
Yes, I am diabetic, and my teeth have suffered. I drink almost exclusively water now. But Jesus, if you grew up in the south in the 90s and 00s, I don't remember anyone but my mom ever drinking water, and even she drank almost exclusively coke.
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Absolutely agree with you, but one thing to note is the existence of what's called representative payees. OP would have likely had to sign a form for it at 21, unless they were verifiably incapacitated at the time, but a rep payee is, for an intents and purposes, the beneficiary as far as the social security department is concerned.
Which is NOT to say don't leave. It just means that OP needs to contact social security the instant they are clear of danger or being overheard.
The moment you're safe, contact the SSD and ask them to verify your status as the primary on your account. If your mother (or someone else) is not the rep payee, then you're clear. If they are, you need to ask for the paperwork to transfer your benefits back to yourself, which may involve having to go through a judge. That said, keep a record of any communications between yourself and whoever the rep payee is. Ohio is a one party consent state, meaning you are legally allowed to record your phone calls as long as one party is aware and consents, namely yourself. Text based communication is easier, though.
If you are able to contact anyone (guessing you can since you're posting this) I would suggest contacting progressive organizations in your area. Women's shelters, even if you're male, may be able to help you, or direct you to someone who can help. Gay organizations often have some resources in place for teens who have disowned. The DSA, the episcopal church, the metropolitan community Church, the United Church of Christ, any Sikh, Buddhist, and often Hindu community centers are also notorious for being home to progressive members. Sadly, they likely don't have anything in place for such a rescue mission already, but they may well be a member willing to assist.
Best option is if there's an anarchist mutual aid org near you, but that's unlikely.
I wish you all the luck and success in there.
This also ended up longer than I anticipated going in, so posting it as a full comment in and of itself, too.