At the risk of sounding anti-intellectual, I think that college should be free and also not a requirement for employment outside of highly specialized career fields
technically you can, if you don't care about degrees.
Free Harvard courses.
Free Courses from Stanford.
Free Courses from MIT.
Free courses from Yale.
Free courses from Princeton.
Free courses on Coursera.
Free Courses on EDx
Free Courses on Alison
For paid, there's The Great Courses+/Wonderium. 20$ a month for unlimited courses.
When searching, the phrases you're looking for are Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), or you can do a general search of say, "free online college courses."
Oh, and so you don't get surprised like I did, have an avoid: Hillsdale College is a conservative Christian site and not a valid MOOC place. Sign up with them and you will get things like THIS IS WHY THE LEFT IS TURNING YOUR KIDS TRANS AND GAY in your inbox.
fam, im $218 short on rent and it's past due as of today. can i please get help with this? i do also really need groceries but rent takes precedence. getting real stressed out
hi friends its black history month and im trying my best to not become black history just yet. have a major surgery coming up soon that essentially has the potential to extend my life and improve the quality of it and im just trying my best to make it through them. been admitted to the hospital 5 times since the beginning of january because i keep going septic which is. not helping things. and the stress of housing instability and poverty just fucks with my immune system even more. pls help if you can - i don't have anywhere safe to go if i lose my housing and my medical implants / devices require that i stay in an at least semi-clean indoor environment
hey, do you know where i can get an n95 mask? ive kept up wearing cloth masks near religiously, but i've heard they're inneffective/ less effective against newer variants
do the cloth masks even do anything at all now?
yes, i can definitely provide resources for that!
first and foremost, my biggest advice is to try and find a mask bloc near you. search "mask bloc (your area)" online, and if there isn't one near you, try to reach out to whichever is the closest - they may be able to help connect you with mask distributors close to your area!
low cost masks here!
I'm not sure where you live although i assume the united states since you used the term n95, so i'm going to provide resources for that, but I'll also leave other ones i have offhand for other people reading this.
in terms of paid disposable n95s, project N95 sadly closed, but their website still has a list of mask recommendations here, although they can be pricey. this article has links to a lot of good n95s, as well. this post (not mine) has a lot of great recs for masks and covid safety. you can sometimes find them at hardware stores, although you may need to order online.
for free n95 resources, my first recommendation is to look up "mask bloc (your city/county)" and reach out to them. there is also the COVID action map, which is worldwide map of COVID safety organizations, including mask blocs. if you're in canada, you can apply here to receive free n95- equivalent masks!
i noticed you used the singular "mask" and want to emphasize that disposable n95s, as their name suggests, need to be replaced and cannot be used indefinitely. general consensus is that they're safe to use until dirtied or until it's hard to breathe in them, which is usually about 1-2 weeks of full-day use, or longer if you go out less. you can, however, buy indefinitely reusable elastomeric respirators, which actually provide better protection than disposable n95s due to their silicone seal, and are cheaper long-term than buying disposable masks. p100 elastomerics offer over 99.97% protection which is especially great for the surge we're in. you have to replace the filters in elastomerics when they become difficult to breathe through, but that is usually inexpensive. you can often find them for cheap at hardware stores, but for online listings, here are recs:
the advantage 900, with p100 cartridges (helpful product guide), is pricey at around $60 plus the cartridges, but it will pay for itself over disposable n95s quickly, and the cartridges only need to be replaced if breathing becomes different or they get soiled or wet. it comes with a speaking valve and has two-way filtering, so it's easier to talk in while still protecting those around you! for a cheaper options, the gvs ellipse, p100, is $37 and not quite as bulky/conspicuous as other p100s, same qualifications for changing filters. f you're looking for a very low-profile mask and are able and willing to spend a lot, you can check out "boutique" elastomerics such as the envo mask, n95 (i recommend the envo pro, n95 because half-face respirators, the ones that cover your chin, seal better than quarter-face respirators; don't buy the n99 envo because it doesn't have two-way filtration so it won't protect those around you) and the flo mask, n95 (wouldn't recommend strongly as it is quarter-face, expensive, and tends to only fit certain face shapes, but it has a kid's option so if anyone reading needs a mask for a kid it's good for that). you can also get elastomerics at most hardware stores for cheap! just make sure to check that it a) is n95 certified or better and b) does not have an exhalation valve.
cloth masks, although much less effective than respirators, are at least somewhat better than nothing. if you have to choose between no mask or cloth mask Absolutely wear the cloth mask, but avoid crowded and/or indoor spaces as much as you can before you get a respirator - avoid people like, literally, the plague as much as possible if you're not wearing a well-fitted n95/equivalent or better - and if at ALL possible make sure to get n95 or better filtration masks. mask seal is essential for proper protection; here's a guide on how to properly seal masks, and here is info on how to diy mask fit tests at home. n95s/n99s/p100s/etc are better than kn95s/any ear loop masks because they seal better; if you only have kn95s available, seal the bridge of your nose and other gaps with a band aid and/or medical tape/mask tape (x), or use a mask brace or head strap to seal the loops around your head.
if you need accomodations:
mask that won't pinch your nose
thank you so much for reaching out about this, and for doing your part to keep yourself and others safe in such a scary and dangerous time. if you're reading this and stopped masking, it's never, ever too late to start again! especially as we are in the second-biggest ever surge. check out the people's CDC wastewater map to see how high cases are in the US (in general, the people's CDC is a great resource for covid safety, including what to do if you get COVID, how to tell if your mask is counterfeit, and much more!) and COVID wastewater scan to check out cases in your county (and most other countries are being hit just as hard); if that didn't have you convinced, look at these 85+ studies on the havoc COVID wreaks on the body. COVID disproportionately impacts marginalized communities, especially Black and Hispanic and/or of course immunocompromised people. and to all those protesting for a free Palestine (from the river to the sea 🇵🇸), covid is impacting Palestinians harder than anyone, and it's your and my responsibility to do everything we can to keep this disease from killing and severely disabling our neighbors and loved ones and spreading overseas (not to mention, you should be covering your face anyway, protesting 101). wearing a mask is an essential, non-optional part of caring for your community, loved ones, and the most vulnerable of us, as well as yourself.
where to get masks in different countries
BRAZIL - enter your postal code to find where to buy these
i hope this is helpful, and that you can stay safe! 😷❤️
hey its black history month and i am about to BE black history if i don't manage to keep myself afloat long enough to get myself to the surgery that may very well save my life in march and then through recovery afterwards 🥰
i need to stay housed. and get my wheelchair and other belongings back from my mom, who is withholding it. and get my eyes checked. and possibly figure out getting some sort of temporary caregiving together to help me recover from major surgery. tl;dr im really really overwhelmed right now and would appreciate any help that people are willing to provide 🫶🏽
pypal | cshapp | kof1 | friends vnmo bc im locked outta mine
made a new / updated amzon wlist [link] - its all stuff that either has a medical purpose or helps me with self care tasks. would really appreciate the help! otherwise, main priority rn is figuring out getting rent paid (part of its due on the 9th), storage payment, getting to/from my pre-surgery appointments, and keeping myself alive until surgery (shockingly not as easy as one would think 😔)
i appreciate y'all so so much thank you for the help 🫶🏽
hi. im really sick - have a huge surgery coming up in march. my wheelchair, glasses, and like most of the clothes i actually wear are stranded 2 hours down south and i have no way of getting there. i can't go down with my mom while also knowing that i dont have enough to get back up here on my own because she'll likely refuse to drive me back up here (where my doctors are) and then i will be trapped again. i need at least like $250 to make sure that that doesn't happen - i need to be near my care team to survive right now even though i don't have stable housing up here either. i would just leave it and wait longer to pick it up but my wheelchair, glasses, and like all the clothes i actually wear are down there. so. kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place.
id really appreciate some help with this. i am struggling so so much not to drown right now and i dont have much strength left in me to keep coming up for air and treading water, let alone get to shore
pypal | cshapp | kof1 | friends vnmo im still fcking locked out
I am watching my child fade while help stays distant. Every ignored moment steals his strength. Please donate for Ronza today—your kindness can interrupt this pain and give her another morning to live.
Time is running out, donations are almost nonexistent, and the silence is unbearable. Ronza is a small child who cannot survive delays. Please donate now—your donation is her only chance to live.
All I'm trying to do is collect as many donations as possible to survive in the hell of Gaza and escape at the first opportunity. Please give us your support and donate now. Your donation can give us hope for my sister treatment and for us to stay alive until we can get out of here. Please donate.
hi it's mlk day! a very important day in the black community 🫶🏽 if y'all wanna help an unhoused + severely chronically ill + disabled afro-indigenous person survive up until my life saving surgery in march and potentially beyond that i would appreciate it so so much! stuff has been really rough recently, been in and out of the hospital and having to move around a lot, and i honestly just need less things to worry about rn
pypal | cshapp | kof1 | friend's vnmo bc i am locked out of mine rn
officially have $10 to my name after having to go pick up the stuff at my old temporary housing. i need to order bath wipes and a neck collar, it's about $50. if i could have some help w that it would be great. honestly im getting pretty dehydrated rn and a bit worried i might end up in the er for fluids but im trying really hard to make sure that doesn't happen
In a memo to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem regarding tribal members recently detained by ICE, Frank Star Comes Out, president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, said:
“This is a treaty violation. Treaties are not optional. Sovereignty is not conditional. Our citizens are not negotiable.”
Unfortunately, my baby Qais will die—not only because treatment is delayed or unavailable, but because many see this post, refuse to share it, scroll past his pain, and let silence become another wound.
I am his mother, begging for mercy. One share can carry his story to help, one donation can keep him alive. Please don’t let neglect and indifference be the reason my child disappears.
I am begging you as a mother with nothing left—please help Qais live. Your donation is not money to us; it is breath, warmth, and one more tomorrow for my injured baby.
Every minute passes without help, Qais grows weaker in my arms. Silence is killing him slowly. Please don’t let ignoring this post decide his fate—share it, donate, and give my child a chance to live
I am begging as a mother with nothing left—Qais is slipping away while this post is ignored. Please, share his story and donate now. Your action today could be the breath that saves him.
Every minute you hesitate, my son loses strength. Qais doesn’t need sympathy in silence—he needs action. Please stop scrolling, share his story, and donate now. Your mercy could pull him back from death.
I am begging you as a mother with nothing left—Qais is slipping away while this post is ignored. One share can reach help. One donation can save his life. Please don’t let silence finish him.
With federal agents storming the streets of American communities, there's no single right way to approach this dangerous moment. But there a
If federal immigration agents are coming to your area—or have already arrived—you may be frantically making plans to lay low at home, or perhaps grabbing your whistle and lacing up your sneakers to join a neighborhood watch. It’s a terrifying situation for undocumented residents and all American immigrants, and the climate has even become fraught for US citizens too. There are no simple answers for how to protect yourself and others in every scenario, but there are frameworks you can use for weighing your options.
The presence of immigration agents in cities and towns around the country has starkly increased in recent months, and tensions have escalated in step. On Wednesday, a federal agent shot and killed 37-year-old Minneapolis resident and US citizen Renee Nicole Good in her car during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation. Having already deployed 2,000 agents to Minnesota, DHS reportedly planned this week to send 1,000 more. "There are now more ICE agents in Minnesota than there are combined in Minneapolis police force and St. Paul police force,” Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar said on Friday. “So they are outnumbering our own local police officers out on the streets." (Minnesota and Illinois have since filed lawsuits in federal court to end the ICE “invasion” in those states.)
Elsewhere, Customs and Border Protection agents shot two people in a car in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday, hospitalizing both. These tragedies are just the latest in a series of violent incidents involving immigration agents that have escalated since US president Donald Trump took office a year ago with a sweeping anti-immigration agenda. In addition to intense activity in Minneapolis and Portland, ICE and CBP have carried out deportation operations across the US.
“The number of ICE agents has dramatically increased, the sheer presence in people’s communities is larger,” says Jennifer Whitlock, senior policy counsel at the National Immigration Law Center. “And this means that the risk of encountering an ICE officer has really increased for people, even if you’re not in any way attached to immigration.”
Pause
Problems have persisted for years with ICE and CBP actions—including arrests and detentions—that accidentally ensnare US citizens and other documented residents. Additionally, the agencies’ operations have a history of aggression and mistreatment in dealing with suspects. Immigration infractions are typically civil, not criminal offenses. Over the last year, though, the Department of Homeland Security’s budget for immigration enforcement has expanded substantially at the same time that public unrest about the activity has grown. The result is a charged climate in which standard interactions can quickly, and dangerously, escalate.
“We’re surging operations because of the dangerous situation we see in this country,” homeland security secretary Kristi Noem said in a press conference on Wednesday. “We should all work together to protect our citizens.”
Many see immigration enforcement’s track record and current activity very differently, though.
“For its entire existence, ICE has been a very violent agency and a very unaccountable agency without a lot of oversight or transparency,” says Nithya Nathan-Pineau, policy attorney and strategist at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.
She notes that as immigration officers have been involved in more and more violent incidents in recent months, it has become harder than ever to offer simple, definitive advice to people about assessing risk in interactions with federal agents.
Numerous sources told WIRED that their trainings and materials about interacting with federal immigration agents are actively evolving to reflect the current moment. For example, one core point has long been to explain the difference between a judicial warrant signed by a judge that gives law enforcement the right to, say, enter a person’s home versus the administrative warrants that ICE agents often carry that do not give them that right. “Don’t open the door for ICE” is a common refrain. But this type of information, while still accurate, does not fully account for the chaotic intensity of current US immigration enforcement.
“In the past, we would encourage people to exercise your right to protest or record video to document,” the National Immigration Law Center's Whitlock says. “We always talked about risk assessment and how some people are more vulnerable than others, but now it's not just risk of arrest at a protest, it’s risk of physical harm. I don't think we fully anticipated how ICE and CBP would ignore and violate people’s constitutional rights.”
In short, there is some risk inherent in any interaction with federal immigration officials, whether you're a US citizen or not. Even if you aren't willing to expose yourself in that way, though, you can still take action to meaningfully and concretely help people in your community affected by the Trump administration's policies.
Plan Ahead
Depending on your situation, you should make a plan in case you end up interacting with immigration enforcement while out and about.
In its online guidance, the nonprofit National Immigrant Justice Center says individuals and communities can create a “safety plan” to help be best prepared in case ICE operatives arrive in the area. Such a plan could involve identifying trusted family members, friends, or colleagues who can act as emergency contacts for people who could be the target of federal immigration actions, or anyone who could come into contact with agents. Memorize their phone numbers and also make sure that your child's school or daycare has emergency contacts on file. If you know you are at specific risk of deportation, you may consider additional steps, too, related to establishing an emergency guardian for children and a power of attorney for yourself.
Given that US citizens are not safe from violence or arrest at the hands of federal immigration agents, immigrants with an established status, visa, or permanent residency are potentially at even higher risk if they participate in community safety efforts or other activities that put them near immigration agents.
In December, DHS vehemently denied to WIRED that its agents engage in racial profiling as part of immigration operations. Multiple sources emphasized to WIRED, though, that nonwhite Americans should consider being extra cautious about proximity to immigration agents. This is particularly true in light of a September 2025 US Supreme Court decision in which Justice Brett Kavanaugh concluded that someone’s apparent ethnicity may be a “relevant factor” that could justify detaining someone during an immigration enforcement action—something now derisively known as a “Kavanaugh stop.”
You should consider taking precautions to protect yourself against potential digital surveillance if you know you are going to be proximal to immigration authorities. CBP and ICE both have digital surveillance capabilities that are increasing all the time. You can’t always anticipate when you might encounter federal agents, of course, but people who could specifically be the target of an immigration enforcement action should consider taking extra digital precautions if they can.
Looking broadly, sources told WIRED that political polarization and rising tensions across the US are key contexts in assessing potential risks.
“It’s no longer Officer Friendly out there,” Whitlock says. “This is not to give any excuse, but I can imagine there is a mindset within the field ICE agents and CBP where they really do think they’re under attack and being threatened. And no one is above the law, but I think it’s important for people to understand that there are going to be limited forms of trying to hold these officers accountable in practice.”
On the Scene
If you find yourself witnessing an immigration enforcement action, there are some things to keep in mind if you want to stick around.
“The goal is to be an observer and to document what is happening,” says Nathan-Pineau of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. “The goal is not to go and try to intervene in the law enforcement action.”
Training materials from Siembra NC, a North Carolina–based grassroots organization working to defend its local communities from exploitation, say that the priority when ICE is present is letting agents know they are being observed and reminding people of their right to remain silent, while deescalating whenever possible and promoting safety. The group advises that if ICE operatives are conducting an arrest or traffic stop, responders should try to approach within their line of sight and identify themselves in the process.
You can also report immigration enforcements sightings in many areas without getting involved by calling a local ICE watch tip line. Many immigration advocacy and human rights groups suggest using the “SALUTE” acronym to guide the information you give in these reports. Size: How many agents or officers you see. Activity: What are they doing? Has anyone been detained? Location: Where exactly did you see them and what direction are they heading in? Units: What types of officers are they or what words and markings can you see on their uniforms? Time: What time was the sighting? Make reports as quickly as possible. Equipment: What do the agents have with them, such as types of weapons, vehicles, crowd control methods, and other details?
Filming ICE behavior can let agents know they are being watched, potentially creating some accountability for their actions, as well as a digital evidence trail for any legal cases or proceedings that may occur at a later date. When interacting with federal agents as part of a group effort responding to ICE, Siembra NC recommends identifying yourself as a volunteer, and asking agents who they are, what they are doing, and what agency they work for. Then you can state that you will remain present to observe, while also recording any models of vehicles, license plates, and operatives at the scene.
“We always advise people that if the law enforcement officer that you are filming tells you to step back, you should step back and you should say it out loud—‘I’m stepping back, I’m stepping back.’ That way you’re recording that you’re complying with their order,” Nathan-Pineau says.
Multiple sources reiterated that recording federal agents has a dual purpose, because if your own behavior and that of the people around you is appropriate to the situation, this will be captured in your documentation as well as any officer misconduct. The fact remains, though, that peacefully filming interactions can be interpreted as aggressive or escalatory precisely because it is an accountability mechanism.
Proximity is one of the most important risks to assess when on the scene, says Xavier de Janon, director of mass self-defense at the National Lawyers Guild. “The closer people have been to federal agents or property, the more likely they’ve been charged, tackled, or arrested,” he says.
More and more, federal prosecutors are seeking criminal charges against people for allegedly assaulting federal officers, even if the cases ultimately don’t succeed and later get dropped. The NLG recently published a guide on how protesters and observers can assess risks related to the federal assault law.
Work From Home
Even if you can’t risk hitting the streets, there are other important ways to contribute to community safety efforts.
Civil liberties groups have been campaigning nationwide to ban real-time surveillance platforms and end lucrative contracts that feed information to ICE. You can contact the offices of your local officials and tell them to cancel surveillance contracts and stop information-sharing and other law enforcement cooperation that fuels ICE operations.
“It's good that local officials in cities targeted by ICE are speaking out and condemning their brutal tactics—but talk is cheap,” says Evan Greer, director of the digital rights activist organization Fight for the Future. “ICE violence is enabled by ICE surveillance, often with help from local police and city-run surveillance systems. If local leaders want to protect their residents from ICE's gestapo tactics, one of the most immediate things they can do is roll back and limit surveillance by canceling contracts with surveillance vendors like Flock and banning the use of facial recognition and other forms of biometric surveillance, either through executive action or city ordinance.”
For those who are not direct targets of the federal immigration crackdown, Kathy O’Leary, a member of the Catholic peace organization New Jersey Pax Christi, recommends listening to neighbors who are directly affected and figuring out what they need. Every week, she and other volunteers go to Delaney Hall Detention Facility in New Jersey to support families who are visiting their loved ones in detention. The volunteers bring chairs and water for the visitors—who are forced to wait outside—and help visitors navigate the rules of the facility.
For example, she said, her group started bringing extra clothing because they realized that visitors were being turned away because of dress code violations. She said it started when a woman who had traveled all the way from Boston to visit her father in detention was turned away because she was wearing ripped jeans. A volunteer realized she was the same size and offered to switch pants.
“That was a serious act of resistance,” O’Leary says. “The system was creating a hurdle to see her father. The system tries to limit contact with families; it’s about stealing people’s hope and trying to break people.”
O’Leary and other volunteers also give out gift cards to grocery stores to visitors, since many families’ breadwinners are the ones in detention. O’Leary says that people who want to figure out how to get involved in their communities can see if they live near a local member of the Detention Watch Network. If there isn’t a member in their state, sometimes groups in neighboring states will know who’s active in their area.
Working with local mutual aid organizations, food pantries, and other humanitarian support groups contributes to overall community strength and safety. And simply contributing to digital ICE watch trackers as you go about your regular activities can give others valuable information.
“It’s about what lever matches your risk tolerance, matches the resources that are available to you,” says Matt Mitchell, CEO of the risk-mitigation firm Safety Sync Group. “Not everyone has the same privileges. Some people want to donate money, some people want to write letters, some people want to read up on what law enforcement and CBP and ICE can and can’t do. Some people want to put their bodies in the space and assemble because that is our right, some people want to document. There are many different levels.”
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