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128-598: The organization was chartered in 1899 by social reformers Jane Addams and Josephine Lowell . Its first general secretary was Florence Kelley . Under Kelley's direction, the League's early focus was to oppose the harsh, unregulated working conditions many Americans were forced to endure. The founding principles of the NCL are: "That the working conditions we accept for our fellow citizens should be reflected by our purchases, and that consumers should demand safety and reliability from

256-443: A CR test. In 2010, CR rated the 2010 Lexus GX 460 SUV unsafe after the vehicle failed one of the magazine's emergency safety tests. Toyota temporarily suspended sales of the vehicle, and after conducting its own test acknowledged the problem and issued a recall for the vehicle, which later passed a CR re-test. In 2016, CR found wildly inconsistent battery life in its testing of Apple's 2016 MacBook Pro . This led to

384-546: A "radical pragmatist ", she was arguably the first woman public philosopher in the United States. In the Progressive Era , when even presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson identified themselves as reformers and might be seen as social activists, Addams was one of the most prominent reformers. An advocate for world peace , and recognized as the founder of the social work profession in

512-679: A $ 375,000 grant from an environmental group, the Climate Imperative Foundation, to examine gas stoves and indoor air quality, which resulted in the publication of an article entitled "Is Your Gas Range a Health Risk?" published on Oct. 4, 2022, with a note indicating that the article was funded in part by a grant from the Climate Imperative Foundation. This article appeared prior to an Oct. 25 memo by Consumer Products Safety Commission Commissioner Richard L. Trumka entitled 'Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Ban Gas Stoves'. Consumer Reports does not allow outside advertising in

640-667: A buffer to the Irish residing to the north and the French Canadians to the northwest." Italians resided within the inner core of the Hull House Neighborhood ... from the river on the east end, on out to the western ends of what came to be known as Little Italy . Greeks and Jews, along with the remnants of other immigrant groups, began their exodus from the neighborhood in the early 20th century. Only Italians continued as an intact and thriving community through

768-430: A car recall tracker and personalized content. An additional base of online members join for free and received guidance on a range of products (e.g. gas grills, washing machines) at no charge. CR has also launched several advocacy websites, including HearUsNow.org, which helps consumers with telecommunications policy matters. In March 2005, CR campaign PrescriptionforChange.org released " Drugs I Need ", an animated short with

896-539: A case. In 1971, Bose Corporation sued Consumer Reports ( CR ) for libel after CR reported in a review that the sound from the system it reviewed "tended to wander about the room". The case eventually reached the United States Supreme Court , which affirmed in Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of United States, Inc. that CR 's statement was made without actual malice and therefore

1024-511: A changing cultural environment and was learning the skills at Rockford to lead the future settlement movement. Whilst at Rockford, her readings of Thomas Carlyle , John Ruskin , Leo Tolstoy and others became significant influences. After graduating from Rockford in 1881, with a collegiate certificate and membership in Phi Beta Kappa , she still hoped to attend Smith to earn a proper B.A. That summer, her father died unexpectedly from

1152-434: A child to function with the other children, considering she had a limp and could not run as well. As a child, she thought she was ugly and later remembered wanting not to embarrass her father, when he was dressed in his Sunday best, by walking down the street with him. Jane Addams adored her father, John H. Addams , when she was a child, as she made clear in the stories in her memoir, Twenty Years at Hull House (1910). He

1280-416: A comprehensive program of civic, cultural, recreational, and educational activities and attracted admiring visitors from all over the world, including William Lyon Mackenzie King , a graduate student from Harvard University who later became prime minister of Canada. In the 1890s Julia Lathrop , Florence Kelley , and other residents of the house made it a world center of social reform activity. Hull House used

1408-465: A consumer advisor for the supermarket chain, Giant , from 1970-1976. Peterson also worked closely with president Jimmy Carter's office to represent consumers in policy making. Peterson dedicated her work to consumer protections like accurate food labeling and advocated for protections regarding class, race, and gender in the workforce and consumer market. Peterson made efforts to improve the market in ways that would benefit both business and consumer. In

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1536-472: A few of these women, including Mary Rozet Smith and Ellen Starr . Her relationships offered her the time and energy to pursue her social work while being supported emotionally and romantically. From her exclusively romantic relationships with women, she would most likely be described as a lesbian in contemporary terms, similar to many leading figures in the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom of

1664-497: A first wave of U.S. women to receive a college education. She excelled in this all women environment. She edited the college newspaper, was the valedictorian, participated in the debate club and led the class of 1881. Addams recognized that she and others who were engaged in post secondary education would have new opportunities and challenges. She expressed this in Bread Givers (1880), a speech she gave her junior year. She noted

1792-513: A groundbreaking 1916 film of the same name . Addams and her colleagues originally intended Hull House as a transmission device to bring the values of the college-educated high culture to the masses, including the Efficiency Movement , a major movement in industrial nations in the early 20th century that sought to identify and eliminate waste in the economy and society, and to develop and implement best practices. However, over time,

1920-448: A house. Historian Lilian Faderman wrote that Jane was in love and she addressed Mary as "My Ever Dear", "Darling" and "Dearest One", and concluded that they shared the intimacy of a married couple. They remained together until 1934, when Mary died of pneumonia, after 40 years together. It was said that, "Mary Smith became and always remained the highest and clearest note in the music that was Jane Addams' personal life". Together they owned

2048-532: A kids' version of Consumer Reports called Penny Power , later changed to Zillions . This publication was similar to Consumer Reports but served a younger audience. At its peak, the magazine covered close to 350,000 subscribers. It gave children financial advice for budgeting their allowances and saving for a big purchase, reviewed kid-oriented consumer products (e.g., toys, clothes, electronics, food, videogames, etc.), and generally promoted smart consumerism in kids and teens; testing of products came from kids of

2176-413: A lunchroom. Her adult night school was a forerunner of the continuing education classes offered by many universities today. In addition to making available social services and cultural events for the largely immigrant population of the neighborhood, Hull House afforded an opportunity for young social workers to acquire training. Eventually, Hull House became a 13-building settlement complex, which included

2304-492: A magazine aimed at young women. In 2008, Consumer Reports acquired The Consumerist blog from Gawker Media . Magazine copies distributed in Canada include a small four-page supplement called "Canada Extra", explaining how the magazine's findings apply to that country and lists the examined items available there. In 1998, Consumer Reports launched the grant-funded project Consumer Reports WebWatch , which aimed to improve

2432-547: A playground and a summer camp (known as Bowen Country Club ). One aspect of the Hull House that was very important to Jane Addams was the Art Program. The art program at Hull House allowed Addams to challenge the system of industrialized education, which "fitted" the individual to a specific job or position. She wanted the house to provide a space, time and tools to encourage people to think independently. She saw art as

2560-453: A position that entailed frequent travel to Europe and Asia. Consumers Union Consumer Reports ( CR ), formerly Consumers Union ( CU ), is an American nonprofit consumer organization dedicated to independent product testing , investigative journalism , consumer-oriented research, public education, and consumer advocacy. Founded in 1936, CR was created to serve as a source of information that consumers could use to help assess

2688-485: A pragmatic center for living in and establishing good relations with the neighborhood. Among the aims of Hull House was to give privileged, educated young people contact with the real life of the majority of the population. Residents of Hull House conducted investigations on housing, midwifery , fatigue, tuberculosis, typhoid , garbage collection, cocaine, and truancy . The core Hull House residents were well-educated women bound together by their commitment to labour unions,

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2816-571: A progressive message. Consumers Union would surpass Schlink's Consumers' Research in subscribers by 1940, accumulating a readership of 71,000. Numerous businesses and corporations set out to suppress the actions of Consumers Union. In an effort to suppress the critiques of Consumers' Union, The New York Herald Tribune established an institute with the goal of demonstrating that the efforts of consumers groups were futile, in that businesses already conducted extensive product-testing. The Crowell Institute on Consumer Relations founded in 1937, sprouted from

2944-557: A song from the Austin Lounge Lizards , that was featured by The New York Times , JibJab , BoingBoing , and hundreds of blogs. On Earth Day 2005, CR launched GreenerChoices.org, a web-based initiative meant to "inform, engage, and empower consumers about environmentally friendly products and practices". Consumer Reports was a sponsor of the Safe Patient Project, whose goal was to help consumers find

3072-409: A stance in support of the war effort. The urged their supporters to put aside their personal interest by consuming less, and following the government ordered policies of consumption. They were also critical of businesses who saw the war period as an opportunity to advertise their products and as a result were wasting paper. The government's vested interest in the politics of consumption would escalate in

3200-525: A sudden case of appendicitis . Each child inherited roughly $ 50,000 (equivalent to $ 1.58 million in 2016). That fall, Addams, her sister Alice, Alice's husband Harry, and their stepmother, Anna Haldeman Addams, moved to Philadelphia so that the three young people could pursue medical educations. Harry was already trained in medicine and did further studies at the University of Pennsylvania . Jane and Alice completed their first year of medical school at

3328-542: A summer house in Bar Harbor, Maine . When apart, they would write to each other at least once a day – sometimes twice. Addams would write to Smith, "I miss you dreadfully and am yours 'til death". The letters also show that the women saw themselves as a married couple: "There is reason in the habit of married folks keeping together", Addams wrote to Smith. Addams's religious beliefs were shaped by her wide reading and life experience. She saw her settlement work as part of

3456-602: A two-year tour of Europe with her stepmother, traveling some of the time with friends and family who joined them. Addams decided that she did not have to become a doctor to be able to help the poor. Upon her return home in June 1887, she lived with her stepmother in Cedarville and spent winters with her in Baltimore. Addams, still filled with vague ambition, sank into depression, unsure of her future and feeling useless leading

3584-665: A woman to marry and devote her life to family. In the summer of 1887, Addams read in a magazine about the new idea of starting a settlement house . She decided to visit the world's first, Toynbee Hall , in London . She and several friends, including Ellen Gates Starr , traveled in Europe from December 1887 through the summer of 1888. After watching a bullfight in Madrid , fascinated by what she saw as an exotic tradition, Addams condemned this fascination and her inability to feel outraged at

3712-519: A wool factory. He was the president of The Second National Bank of Freeport, Illinois . He remarried in 1868 when Addams was eight years old. His second wife was Anna Hosteler Haldeman, the widow of a miller in Freeport. During her childhood, Addams had big dreams of doing something useful in the world. As a voracious reader, she became interested in the poor from her reading of Charles Dickens . Inspired by his works and by her own mother's kindness to

3840-542: A work-day limited to eight hours . She worked in support of unionization to further protect workers. In 1907 she participated in the Supreme Court case Muller v. Oregon , which sought to overturn limits to the hours female workers could work in non-hazardous professions. Kelley helped to file the Brandeis Brief , which included sociological and medical evidence of the hazards of working long hours, and set

3968-520: Is a public awareness initiative which teaches patients undergoing long-term prescription therapy the importance of communicating with healthcare professionals and following regimens carefully. NCL has faced criticism from progressive groups and labor unions for receiving funding from corporations with a financial stake in the industries where NCL offers policy recommendations. In 1998, Mother Jones argued that NCL "has been saturated in recent years with financial contributions from major U.S. corporations to

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4096-609: Is a reporting platform through which the National Consumers League collects information about scams, extracts trends from data, and forwards reports to law enforcement. The Child Labor Coalition (www.StopChildLabor.org) was formed in 1989 to combat child labor and protect teen workers from health and safety hazards. It is co-chaired by the National Consumers League and the American Federation of Teachers. Script Your Future (www.ScriptYourFuture.org)

4224-479: Is free. As of July 31, 2009, WebWatch has been shut down, though the site is still available. Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs is available free on Consumer Reports Health.org. It compares prescription drugs in over 20 major categories, such as heart disease, blood pressure and diabetes, and gives comparative ratings of effectiveness and costs, in reports and tables, in web pages and PDF documents, in summary and detailed form. Also in 2005 Consumer Reports launched

4352-633: Is funded by subscriptions to its magazine and website, as well as through independent grants and donations. Marta L. Tellado is the current CEO of Consumer Reports. She joined the organization in 2014, following her work with the Ford Foundation , with the goal of expanding its engagement and advocacy efforts. Consumer Reports' flagship website and magazine publishes reviews and comparisons of consumer products and services based on reporting and results from its in-house testing laboratory and survey research center. CR accepts no advertising, pays for all

4480-539: The Chicago Board of Health and served as the first vice-president of the Playground Association of America. In 1912, Addams published A New Conscience and Ancient Evil , about prostitution. This book was extremely popular. Addams believed that prostitution was a result of kidnapping only. Her book later inspired Stella Wynne Herron 's 1916 short story Shoes , which Lois Weber adapted into

4608-535: The National Consumers League and the suffrage movement . Dr. Harriett Alleyne Rice joined Hull House to provide medical treatment for poor families. Its facilities included a night school for adults, clubs for older children, a public kitchen, an art gallery , a gym , a girls' club, a bathhouse, a book bindery , a music school , a drama group and a theater, apartments, a library, meeting rooms for discussion, clubs, an employment bureau, and

4736-553: The Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania , but Jane's health problems, a spinal operation and a nervous breakdown prevented her from completing the degree. She was filled with sadness at her failure. Her stepmother Anna was also ill, so the entire family canceled their plans to stay two years and returned to Cedarville. her brother-in-law Harry performed surgery on her back, to straighten it. He then advised that she not pursue studies but, instead, travel. In August 1883, she set off for

4864-562: The Woman's Peace Party and was elected national chairman. Addams was invited by European women peace activists to preside over the International Congress of Women in The Hague, April 28–30, 1915, and was chosen to head the commission to find an end to the war. This included meeting ten leaders in neutral countries as well as those at war to discuss mediation. This was the first significant international effort against

4992-480: The " social Christian " movement. Addams learned about social Christianity from the co-founders of Toynbee Hall , Samuel and Henrietta Barnett. The Barnetts held a great interest in converting others to Christianity, but they believed that Christians should be more engaged with the world and, in the words of one of the leaders of the social Christian movement in England, W. H. Fremantle, "imbue all human relations with

5120-454: The "change which has taken place   ... in the ambition and aspirations of women." In the process of developing their intellect and direct labor, something new was emerging. Educated women of her generation wished "not to be a man nor like a man" but claim "the same right to independent thought and action." Each young woman was gaining "a new confidence in her possibilities, and a fresher hope in her steady progress." At 20, Addams recognized

5248-624: The "garbage wars"; in 1894 she became the first woman appointed as sanitary inspector of Chicago's 19th Ward. With the help of the Hull House Women's Club, within a year over 1,000 health department violations were reported to city council and garbage collection reduced death and disease. Addams had long discussions with philosopher John Dewey in which they redefined democracy in terms of pragmatism and civic activism, with an emphasis more on duty and less on rights. The two leading perspectives that distinguished Addams and her coalition from

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5376-691: The 16-year-old test results of the 1988 Samurai in its advertising or promotional materials. In December 1997, the Isuzu Trooper distributor in Puerto Rico sued CR , alleging that it had lost sales as a result of disparagement of the Trooper by the Consumers Union of the United States (CU). A trial court granted the motion for summary judgment by the CU, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for

5504-481: The 1920s and 1930's the NCL focus was set on lobbying for a gendered-minimum wage. As the U.S. entered the depression they began to lobby for both male and female working conditions and contributed to the passing of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 which is one of their first legislative achievements that set a standard for working conditions and outlawed child labor. In addition they fought for

5632-416: The 1970s they shifted their focus onto the well being of consumers as individuals rather than the focus on working conditions. Florence Kelley was the general secretary of the National Consumers League from its founding in 1899 to her death in 1931. In founding the National Consumers League in 1899, one of Kelley's primary concerns was that the league oppose sweatshop labor . Kelley also worked to establish

5760-684: The Butler Art Gallery or the Bowen Country Club often hosted these classes, but more informal lessons would often be taught outdoors. Addams, with the help of Ellen Gates Starr, founded the Chicago Public School Art Society (CPSAS) in response to the positive reaction the art classes for children caused. The CPSAS provided public schools with reproductions of world-renowned pieces of art, hired artists to teach children how to create art, and also took

5888-549: The Cedarville poor, Addams decided to become a doctor so that she could live and work among the poor. Addams's father encouraged her to pursue higher education but close to home. She was eager to attend the new college for women, Smith College in Massachusetts; but her father required her to attend nearby Rockford Female Seminary (now Rockford University ), in Rockford, Illinois . Her experience at Rockford put her in

6016-662: The Extension Division of the University of Chicago . She declined offers from the university to become directly affiliated with it, including an offer from Albion Small , chair of the Department of Sociology, of a graduate faculty position. She declined in order to maintain her independent role outside of academia. Her goal was to teach adults not enrolled in formal academic institutions, because of their poverty and/or lack of credentials. Furthermore, she wanted no university controls over her political activism. Addams

6144-603: The First Circuit affirmed the favorable judgment. In 2003, Sharper Image sued CR in California for product disparagement over negative reviews of its Ionic Breeze Quadra air purifier . CR moved for dismissal on October 31, 2003, and the case was dismissed in November 2004. The decision also awarded CR $ 525,000 in legal fees and costs. The February 2007 issue of Consumer Reports stated that only two of

6272-699: The Great Depression, World War II, and well beyond the ultimate demise of Hull House proper in 1963. Hull House became America's best known settlement house. Addams used it to generate system-directed change, on the principle that to keep families safe, community and societal conditions had to be improved. The neighborhood was controlled by local political bosses. Starr and Addams developed three "ethical principles" for social settlements: "to teach by example, to practice cooperation, and to practice social democracy, that is, egalitarian, or democratic, social relations across class lines." Thus Hull House offered

6400-521: The Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, "Some social settlements were linked to religious institutions. Others, like Hull-House [co-founded by Addams], were secular." Hilda Satt Polacheck, a former resident of Hull House, stated that Addams firmly believed in religious freedom and bringing people of all faiths into the social, secular fold of Hull House. The one exception, she notes, was the annual Christmas Party, although Addams left

6528-770: The Kentucky Equal Justice Center and the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network among other advocacy organizations. In recent years, the organization has been vocal on key issues, including championing consumer choice and industry competition in the debate against the Sprint T-Mobile merger, advocating for consumer preference to leave net neutrality protections in place, exposing how data is used to engage in racial discrimination when determining consumer pricing offers, and advocating for stronger privacy laws in

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6656-519: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, other federal agencies, the media and consumer safety organizations to shape policy on such issues as product safety, auto safety, and legal and liability reform. LifeSmarts (www.LifeSmarts.org) is a free program designed to teach teenagers consumer rights and responsibilities as they pertain to health, finance, technology, and the environment. Fraud.org

6784-526: The Progressive-Era ideology she championed. In A New Conscience and an Ancient Evil (1912) she dissected the social pathology of sex slavery, prostitution and other sexual behaviors among working-class women in American industrial centers from 1890 to 1910. Addams's autobiographical persona manifests her ideology and supports her popularized public activist persona as the "Mother of Social Work", in

6912-728: The U.S. annexation of the Philippines . A staunch supporter of the Progressive Party, she nominated Theodore Roosevelt for the presidency during the Party Convention , held in Chicago in August 1912. She signed up on the party platform, even though it called for building more battleships . She went on to speak and campaign extensively for Roosevelt's 1912 presidential campaign. In January 1915, she became involved in

7040-606: The United States, in 1931 Addams became the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize . Earlier, Addams was awarded an honorary Master of Arts degree from Yale University in 1910, becoming the first woman to receive an honorary degree from the school. In 1920, she was a co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Addams helped America address and focus on issues that were of concern to mothers or extensions of

7168-604: The age range a product was targeted toward. It also taught kids about deceitful marketing practices practiced by advertising agencies. The magazine folded in 2000. Consumer Reports had an annual testing budget of approximately US$ 25 million, as well as approximately 7 million subscribers (3.8 million print and 3.2 million digital) as of April 2016. The organization had around 6 million members in July 2018. In 1927, F.J. Schlink and Stuart Chase published their best selling novel, Your Money's Worth , which saw massive readership due to

7296-519: The best quality of health care by promoting the public disclosure of hospital-acquired infection rates and medical errors. The US Centers for Disease Control states that about 2 million patients annually (about 1 in 20) will acquire an infection while being treated in a hospital for an unrelated health care problem, resulting in 99,000 deaths and as much as $ 45 billion in excess hospital costs. The campaign has worked in every state calling for legislation requiring hospitals to disclose infection rates to

7424-528: The board of CR from 1982 to 2006 and was the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 1977 to 1981, where she discussed the sequence of events leading to the publishing of the erroneous information. In February 1998, the organization tested pet food and claimed that Iams dog food was nutritionally deficient. It later retracted the report claiming that there had been "a systemic error in

7552-401: The child safety seats it tested for that issue passed the organization's side impact tests. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration , which subsequently retested the seats, found that all those seats passed the corresponding NHTSA tests at the speeds described in the magazine report. The CR article reported that the tests simulated the effects of collisions at 38.5 mph. However,

7680-409: The city bureaucracy to ignore health, sanitation, and building codes. Linking environmental justice and municipal reform, she eventually defeated the bosses and fostered a more equitable distribution of city services and modernized inspection practices. Addams spoke of the "undoubted powers of public recreation to bring together the classes of a community in the keeping them apart." Addams worked with

7808-415: The classes mingling socially to mutual benefit, as they had in early Christian circles seemed embodied in the new type of institution. The settlement house as Addams discovered was a space within which unexpected cultural connections could be made and where the narrow boundaries of culture, class, and education could be expanded. They doubled as community arts centers and social service facilities. They laid

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7936-514: The consumer market itself. She was a long time member of the NCL having worked with them as early as 1944 and served as the organizations president from 1974-1976. Peterson worked with the White House as a Special Assistant on Consumer Affairs from 1964-70 during Lyndon B.Johnson's presidency. She carried on her position as director of the Office of Consumer Affairs until 1981. Peterson was also

8064-481: The consumer movement. The demand for brand research led to Schlink to found the company Consumers' Research in 1927. The company was responsible for publishing Consumers’ Research Bulletin (previously named Consumer Club Commodity List). The subscriber count in 1933 was reported to be over 42,000. It was in this year, that Consumer Research moved its operations to New York City. Following this move, employees began to unionize, citing unfair pay. Schlink proceeded to fire

8192-422: The contributors to use the house rent-free. Other contributors were Louise DeKoven Bowen , Mary Rozet Smith , Mary Wilmarth , and others. Addams and Starr were the first two occupants of the house, which would later become the residence of about 25 women. At its height, Hull House was visited each week by some 2,000 people. Hull House was a center for research, empirical analysis, study, and debate, as well as

8320-556: The conventional life expected of a well-to-do young woman. She wrote long letters to her friend from Rockford Seminary, Ellen Gates Starr , mostly about Christianity and books but sometimes about her despair. Her nephew was James Weber Linn (1876–1939) who taught English at the University of Chicago and served in the Illinois General Assembly . Linn also wrote books and newspaper articles. Meanwhile, Addams gathered inspiration from what she read. Fascinated by

8448-691: The credibility of Web sites through investigative reporting, publicizing best-practices standards, and publishing a list of sites that comply with the standards. WebWatch worked with the Stanford Web Credibility Project , Harvard University's Berkman Center , The Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania, and others. WebWatch is a member of ICANN , the W3C and the Internet Society . Its content

8576-761: The discovery of a bug in the Safari web browser , which Apple promptly fixed via a software update. In May 2018, CR said it could not recommend the Tesla Model 3 due to concerns about the car's long stopping distance. Within days, Tesla issued a remote software update. CR retested the car's brakes, then gave the Model 3 a "recommended" rating. Consumer Reports has been sued several times by companies unhappy with reviews of their products. Consumer Reports has fought these cases vigorously. As of October 2000, Consumer Reports had been sued by 13 manufacturers and never lost

8704-508: The domestic-work assigned to women, such as the needs of children, local public health, and world peace. In her essay "Utilization of Women in City Government", Addams noted the connection between the workings of government and the household, stating that many departments of government, such as sanitation and the schooling of children, could be traced back to traditional women's roles in the private sphere. When she died in 1935, Addams

8832-424: The early 2000s. At the start of 2009, Consumer Reports acquired The Consumerist blog from Gawker Media for approximately $ 600,000. Prior to 2012, the organization did business as Consumers Union. The reason for the name change was that the name of "Consumer Reports" was more familiar to the public than the name of "Consumers Union". Consumer Reports spent $ 200,000 on lobbying in 2015. The Consumerist

8960-489: The early Christians and Tolstoy's book My Religion , she was baptized a Christian in the Cedarville Presbyterian Church in the summer of 1886. Reading Giuseppe Mazzini 's Duties of Man , she began to be inspired by the idea of democracy as a social ideal. Yet she felt confused about her role as a woman. John Stuart Mill 's The Subjection of Women made her question the social pressures on

9088-542: The first additions to Hull House. On the first floor of the new addition there was a branch of the Chicago Public Library , and the second was the Butler Art Gallery, which featured recreations of famous artwork as well as the work of local artists. Studio space within the art gallery provided both Hull House residents and the entire community with the opportunity to take art classes or to come in and hone their craft whenever they liked. As Hull House grew, and

9216-613: The first model tenement code and the first factory laws. Along with her colleagues from Hull House, in 1901 Jane Addams founded what would become the Juvenile Protective Association . JPA provided the first probation officers for the first Juvenile Court in the United States until this became a government function. From 1907 until the 1940s, JPA engaged in many studies examining such subjects as racism, child labor and exploitation, drug abuse and prostitution in Chicago and their effects on child development. Through

9344-469: The focus changed from bringing art and culture to the neighborhood (as evidenced in the construction of the Butler Building) to responding to the needs of the community by providing childcare, educational opportunities, and large meeting spaces. Hull House became more than a proving ground for the new generation of college-educated, professional women: it also became part of the community in which it

9472-506: The forum Woman's Home Companion , which had a readership of 2 million. The institute suppressed the efforts of consumer groups by giving business and advertisers the platform to putdown the consumers' pursuit of "lower distribution costs, grade labeling, and regulation," asserting that these businesses were already taking these factors into account. The New York Times proved to be an obstacle for Consumers Union, refusing CU's requests to advertise. Other major publications would follow suit. In

9600-438: The foundations for American civil society, a neutral space within which different communities and ideologies could learn from each other and seek common grounds for collective action. The role of the settlement house was an "unending effort to make culture and 'the issue of things' go together." The unending effort was the story of her own life, a struggle to reinvigorate her own culture by reconnecting with diversity and conflict of

9728-501: The goods and services they buy." The league's focus continues to be to promote a fair marketplace for workers and consumers. The NCL based their organization on the ideals of consumer citizenship, in which it is a citizens duty to advocate for government legislation and use their individual purchasing power to shape a more ethical consumer market. The league used tools such as investigating and educating to promote change. League members would often do thorough investigations in order to study

9856-467: The immigrant communities in America's cities and with the necessities of social reform. In 1889 Addams and her college friend and paramour Ellen Gates Starr co-founded Hull House , a settlement house in Chicago. The run-down mansion had been built by Charles Hull in 1856 and needed repairs and upgrading. Addams at first paid for all of the capital expenses (repairing the roof of the porch, repainting

9984-547: The increase of consumer access to quality health care. The organization has also expanded its reach to a suite of digital platforms. Consumer Reports Advocacy frequently supports environmental causes, including heightened regulations on auto manufacturers. The organization's headquarters, including its 50 testing labs, are located in Yonkers, New York , while its automotive testing track is in East Haddam, Connecticut . CR

10112-541: The independence of its judgment". In 2007, in response to errors in infant car seat testing, it began accepting advice from a wide range of experts on designing tests, but not on final assessments. Also, at times CR allows manufacturers to review and respond to criticism before publication. CR also accepts referral fees from websites such as Amazon for including "affiliate links" to websites where customers can purchase reviewed products. Some objective and comparative tests published by Consumer Reports are carried out under

10240-472: The interwar years. The rise of Consumers Union happened simultaneously with women's groups interest in consumption. Despite the mobilization of citizens interested in consumption, the pursuit of consumer rights were not validated until the New Deal. The programs represented an acknowledgment of the consumer movement, by actively working to improve consumer purchaser power. In World War II, Consumer Union took

10368-474: The key to unlocking the diversity of the city through collective interaction, mutual self-discovery, recreation and the imagination. Art was integral to her vision of community, disrupting fixed ideas and stimulating the diversity and interaction on which a healthy society depends, based on a continual rewriting of cultural identities through variation and interculturalism . With funding from Edward Butler, Addams opened an art exhibition and studio space as one of

10496-468: The latest methodology (pioneering in statistical mapping) to study overcrowding, truancy, typhoid fever, cocaine, children's reading, newsboys, infant mortality, and midwifery. Starting with efforts to improve the immediate neighborhood, the Hull House group became involved in city and statewide campaigns for better housing, improvements in public welfare, stricter child-labor laws, and protection of working women. Addams brought in prominent visitors from around

10624-658: The lead. No 'managing', no keeping dark and bringing things subtly to pass, just a radiating wisdom and power of judgement. Addams was elected president of the International Committee of Women for a Permanent Peace, established to continue the work of the Hague Congress, at a conference in 1919 in Zürich , Switzerland. The International Committee developed into the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). Addams continued as president,

10752-709: The magazine, but its website has retailers' advertisements. Consumer Reports states that PriceGrabber places the ads and pays a percentage of referral fees to CR , who has no direct relationship with the retailers. Consumer Reports publishes reviews of its business partner and recommends it in at least one case. CR had a similar relationship with BizRate at one time and has had relationships with other companies including Amazon.com , Yahoo! , The Wall Street Journal , The Washington Post , BillShrink, and Decide.com. CR also accepts grants from other organizations. Consumer Reports says its secret shoppers purchase all tested products at retail prices on behalf of

10880-689: The modernizers more concerned with efficiency were the need to extend to social and economic life the democratic structures and practices that had been limited to the political sphere, as in Addams's programmatic support of trade unions and second, their call for a new social ethic to supplant the individualist outlook as being no longer adequate in modern society. Addams's construction of womanhood involved daughterhood, sexuality, wifehood, and motherhood. In both of her autobiographical volumes, Twenty Years at Hull-House (1910) and The Second Twenty Years at Hull-House (1930), Addams's gender constructions parallel

11008-536: The online data includes coverage that is not published in the magazine; for example, vehicle reliability (frequency of repair) tables online extend over the full 10 model years reported in the Annual Questionnaires, whereas the magazine has only a six-year history of each model. In 1990, Consumer Reports launched Consumer Reports Television . By March 2005 it was "hosted" by over 100 stations. On August 1, 2006, Consumer Reports launched ShopSmart ,

11136-427: The organization, that they do so anonymously, and that CR accepts no free samples in order to limit bias from bribery and to prevent being given better than average samples. Consumer Reports pays a rental fee to manufacturers when using these press samples and does not include the products in its ratings. For most of CR ' s history, it minimized contact with government and industry experts "to avoid compromising

11264-425: The point where it can no longer be considered a legitimate independent consumer or public interest group." In 2021, union leaders at Communications Workers of America , United Food and Commercial Workers , and United Auto Workers resigned from NCL's board over NCL's involvement with and financial support from Amazon . Jane Addams Laura Jane Addams (September 6, 1860 – May 21, 1935)

11392-442: The postwar period. Government would encourage to consume both through propaganda as well as the protections instituted to promote individual consumption. Consumer Reports has helped start several consumer groups and publications, in 1960 helping create global consumer group Consumers International and in 1974 providing financial assistance to Consumers' Checkbook which is considered akin to Consumer Reports for local services in

11520-554: The precedent of the Supreme Court's recognition of sociological evidence, which was used to great effect later in the case Brown v. Board of Education . In addition, Kelley assisted in organizing the National Association For Advancement of Colored People . Esther Peterson's involvement in the NCL played an important role in consumer politics and worked within government office as well as

11648-433: The products it tests, and as a nonprofit organization has no shareholders. It also publishes general and targeted product/service buying guides. Consumer Reports has hundreds of thousands of online advocates who take action and write letters to policymakers about the issues its advocates take on. This group continues to grow as Consumer Reports expands its reach, with 6 million paid members who have access to online tools like

11776-605: The public. The Safe Patient Project also works on medical devices, prescription drugs, and physician accountability. GreenerChoices.org offers an "accessible, reliable, and practical source of information on buying 'greener' products that have minimal environmental impact and meet personal needs". The site contains many articles about different products, rating them on how "green" they are. It also focuses on electronics and appliance recycling and reuse, as well as conservation and global warming prevention. Funding for Consumer Reports has recently been provided by USPIRG Education Fund ,

11904-452: The relationship with the neighborhood deepened, that opportunity became less of a comfort to the poor and more of an outlet of expression and exchange of different cultures and diverse communities. Art and culture was becoming a bigger and more important part of the lives of immigrants within the 19th ward, and soon children caught on to the trend. These working-class children were offered instruction in all forms and levels of art. Places such as

12032-555: The relevant social problems within their community. They would then create a report and present it to other women and community members often through public events, women's talk clubs, or fairs.  In its early years it would award a company or producer with a "White Label" which signified that the league was in approval of their ethicality and it would be recognized by other informed consumers. As they progressed they turned their attention more toward implementing legislation that would provide protection to exploited workers and consumers. In

12160-539: The religious side to the church. The Bible served Addams as both a source of inspiration for her life of service and a manual for pursuing her calling. The emphasis on following Jesus' example and actively advancing the establishment of God's Kingdom on earth is also evident in Addams's work and the Social Gospel movement. In 1898, Addams joined the Anti-Imperialist League , in opposition to

12288-523: The rooms, buying furniture) and most of the operating costs. However gifts from individuals supported the House beginning in its first year and Addams was able to reduce the proportion of her contributions, although the annual budget grew rapidly. Some wealthy women became long-term donors to the House, including Helen Culver , who managed her first cousin Charles Hull's estate, and who eventually allowed

12416-401: The safety and performance of products. Since that time, CR has continued its testing and analysis of products and services, and attempted to advocate for the consumer in legislative and rule-making areas. Among the reforms in which CR played a role were the advent of seat belt laws , exposure of the dangers of cigarettes , and more recently, the enhancement of consumer finance protection and

12544-459: The sense that she represents herself as a celibate matron who served the suffering immigrant masses through Hull House, as if they were her own children. Although not a mother herself, Addams became the "mother to the nation", identified with motherhood in the sense of protective care of her people. Addams kept up her heavy schedule of public lectures around the country, especially at college campuses. In addition, she offered college courses through

12672-438: The service Greener Choices , which is meant to "inform, engage, and empower consumers about environmentally-friendly products and practices". It contains information about conservation, electronics recycling and conservation with the goal or providing an "accessible, reliable, and practical source of information on buying "greener" products that have minimal environmental impact and meet personal needs". Consumer Reports published

12800-409: The seven metropolitan areas they serve. Prominent consumer advocate Ralph Nader was on the board of directors, but left in 1975 due to a "division of philosophy" with new Executive Director Rhoda Karpatkin . Nader wanted Consumer Reports to focus on policy and product advocacy, while Karpatkin focused on product testing. Karpatkin was appointed executive director in 1974 and retired as president in

12928-586: The source of women's power. This notion provided the foundation for the municipal or civil housekeeping role that Addams defined and gave added weight to the women's suffrage movement that Addams supported. Addams argued that women, as opposed to men, were trained in the delicate matters of human welfare and needed to build upon their traditional roles of housekeeping to be civic housekeepers. Enlarged housekeeping duties involved reform efforts regarding poisonous sewage, impure milk (which often carried tuberculosis), smoke-laden air, and unsafe factory conditions. Addams led

13056-495: The spirit of Christ's self-renouncing love". According to Christie and Gauvreau (2001), while the Christian settlement houses sought to Christianize, Jane Addams "had come to epitomize the force of secular humanism." Her image was, however, "reinvented" by the Christian churches. According to Joslin (2004), "The new humanism, as [Addams] interprets it comes from a secular, and not a religious, pattern of belief". According to

13184-408: The spirit of youth. Hull House featured multiple programs in art and drama, kindergarten classes, boys' and girls' clubs, language classes, reading groups, college extension courses, along with public baths, a gymnasium, a labor museum and playground, all within a free-speech atmosphere. They were all designed to foster democratic cooperation, collective action and downplay individualism. She helped pass

13312-511: The steering; the manufacturer claimed: "Some do, some don't" show this behavior, but it has no "validity in the real world of driving". Nevertheless, the next year, these models included a lighter weight steering wheel rim and a steering damper , and Consumer Reports reported that the previous instability was no longer present. In a 2003 issue of CR , the magazine tested the Nissan Murano crossover utility vehicle and did not recommend

13440-513: The strikers. The former Consumers' Research employees, teamed up with "journalists, engineers, academics, and scientists" to found the company Consumers Union —now known as Consumer Reports—in February 1936. Consumers Union differentiated themselves from Consumers' Research by establishing a community amongst readers. Within the overall mission of creating more informed consumers, Consumers Union united with women's clubs and citizen groups, creating

13568-667: The students on field trips to Chicago's many art museums. The Hull House neighborhood was a mix of European ethnic groups that had immigrated to Chicago around the start of the 20th century. That mix was the ground where Hull House's inner social and philanthropic elitists tested their theories and challenged the establishment. The ethnic mix is recorded by the Bethlehem-Howard Neighborhood Center: "Germans and Jews resided south of that inner core (south of Twelfth Street) ... The Greek delta formed by Harrison, Halsted Street , and Blue Island Streets served as

13696-412: The suffering of the horses and bulls. At first, Addams told no one about her dream to start a settlement house; but, she felt increasingly guilty for not acting on her dream. Believing that sharing her dream might help her to act on it, she told Ellen Gates Starr. Starr loved the idea and agreed to join Addams in starting a settlement house. Addams and another friend traveled to London without Starr, who

13824-540: The tests that were completed in fact simulated collisions at 70 mph. CR stated in a letter from its president Jim Guest to its subscribers that it would retest the seats. The article was removed from the CR website, and on January 18, 2007, the organization posted a note on its home page about the misleading tests. Subscribers were also sent a postcard apologizing for the error. On January 28, 2007, The New York Times published an op-ed from Joan Claybrook , who served on

13952-418: The time. Her first romantic partner was Ellen Starr , with whom she founded Hull House, who she met when both were students at Rockford Female Seminary. In 1889, the two visited Toynbee Hall together and started their settlement house project, purchasing a house in Chicago. Her second romantic partner was Mary Rozet Smith , who was wealthy and supported Addams's work at Hull House, and with whom she shared

14080-441: The umbrella of the international consumer organization International Consumer Research & Testing . Consumer Reports also uses outside labs for testing, including for 11 percent of tests in 2006. ConsumerReports.org, the website of Consumer Reports, is largely available only to paid subscribers. ConsumerReports.org provides updates on product availability, and adds new products to previously published test results. In addition,

14208-628: The use of the codes for fair competition through pressuring the National Recovery Administration . The NCL experienced some opposition through the New Deal Era from the National Women's Party over differing beliefs of gendered-wages. Sally Greenberg, formerly a senior attorney at Consumers Union (CU), is the executive director of the National Consumers League. Greenberg has worked with members of Congress,

14336-406: The vehicle because of a problem with its power steering, even though the vehicle had above-average reliability. The specific problem was that the steering would stiffen substantially on hard turning. CR recommended the 2005 model, which had addressed this problem. BMW changed the software for the stability control in its X5 SUV after replicating a potential rollover problem discovered during

14464-589: The wake of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal . Consumer Reports is well known for its policies on editorial independence , which it says are to "maintain our independence and impartiality ... [so that] CR has no agenda other than the interests of consumers". CR has unusually strict requirements and sometimes has taken extraordinary steps; for example it declined to renew a car dealership's bulk subscription because of "the appearance of an impropriety". However, Consumer Reports in 2021 took

14592-440: The war. Addams, along with co-delegates Emily Balch and Alice Hamilton , documented their experiences of this venture, published as a book, Women at The Hague ( University of Illinois ). In her journal, Balch recorded her impression of Jane Addams (April 1915): Miss Addams shines, so respectful of everyone's views, so eager to understand and sympathize, so patient of anarchy and even ego, yet always there, strong, wise and in

14720-450: The world and had close links with leading Chicago intellectuals and philanthropists. In 1912, she helped start the new Progressive Party and supported the presidential campaign of Theodore Roosevelt . "Addams' philosophy combined feminist sensibilities with an unwavering commitment to social improvement through cooperative efforts. Although she sympathized with feminists, socialists, and pacifists, Addams refused to be labeled. This refusal

14848-402: The year 1938, CU would find itself at the center of The Dies Committee's investigation into "unpatriotic propaganda". The committee brought on former member of Consumers' Research' board, J.B. Matthews as its research director. In Matthews' official report, he accused CU and its CEO Arthur Kallet of holding Communist ideals, and going as far as to label CU as "Communist front". The smear campaign

14976-435: The years, their mission has now become improving the social and emotional well-being and functioning of vulnerable children so they can reach their fullest potential at home, in school, and in their communities. Addams and her colleagues documented the communal geography of typhoid fever and reported that poor workers were bearing the brunt of the illness. She identified the political corruption and business avarice that caused

15104-504: Was a founding member of the Illinois Republican Party , served as an Illinois State Senator (1855–70), and supported his friend Abraham Lincoln in his candidacies for senator (1854) and the presidency (1860). He kept a letter from Lincoln in his desk, and Addams loved to look at it as a child. Her father was an agricultural businessman with large timber, cattle, and agricultural holdings; flour and timber mills and

15232-412: Was an American settlement activist , reformer , social worker, sociologist , public administrator , philosopher, and author. She was a leader in the history of social work and Women's suffrage . In 1889, Addams co-founded Hull House , one of America's most famous settlement houses , in Chicago, Illinois, providing extensive social services to poor, largely immigrant families. Philosophically

15360-571: Was appointed to serve on the Chicago Board of Education . Addams was a charter member of the American Sociological Society , founded in 1905. She gave papers to it in 1912, 1915, and 1919. She was the most prominent woman member during her lifetime. Generally, Addams was close to a wide set of other women and was very good at eliciting their involvement from different classes in Hull House's programs. Nevertheless, throughout her life Addams did have romantic relationships with

15488-431: Was busy. Visiting Toynbee Hall, Addams was enchanted. She described it as "a community of University men who live there, have their recreation clubs and society all among the poor people, yet, in the same style in which they would live in their own circle. It is so free of 'professional doing good,' so unaffectedly sincere and so productive of good results in its classes and libraries seems perfectly ideal." Addams's dream of

15616-431: Was cared for mostly by her older sisters. By the time Addams was eight, four of her siblings had died: three in infancy and one at the age of 16. Addams spent her childhood playing outdoors, reading indoors, and attending Sunday school . When she was four she contracted tuberculosis of the spine, known as Potts's disease , which caused a curvature in her spine and lifelong health problems. This made it complicated as

15744-513: Was criticized by Consumers Union for its lack of legitimacy. The allegations proved fruitless, and rather served to delegitimize CR and Congressman Dies. In part due to actions of Consumers' Research, the House Un-American Activities Committee placed Consumers Union on a list of subversive organizations, only to remove it in 1954. Consumers Union established themselves as an advocate for consumer rights during

15872-498: Was founded, and its development reveals a shared history. Addams called on women, especially middle-class women with leisure time and energy as well as rich philanthropists, to exercise their civic duty to become involved in municipal affairs as a matter of "civic housekeeping". Addams thereby enlarged the concept of civic duty to include roles for women beyond motherhood (which involved child rearing). Women's lives revolved around "responsibility, care, and obligation", which represented

16000-573: Was not libelous. In 1988, Consumer Reports announced during a press conference that the Suzuki Samurai had demonstrated a tendency to roll and deemed it "not acceptable". Suzuki sued in 1996 after the Samurai was again mentioned in a CR anniversary issue. In July 2004, after eight years in court, the suit was settled and dismissed with no money changing hands and no retraction issued, but Consumers Union did agree to no longer refer to

16128-600: Was pragmatic rather than ideological." Hull House stressed the importance of the role of children in the Americanization process of new immigrants. This philosophy also fostered the play movement and the research and service fields of leisure, youth, and human services. Addams argued in The Spirit of Youth and the City Streets (1909) that play and recreation programs are needed because cities are destroying

16256-686: Was subsequently closed in December 2017, when its content was folded into the Consumer Reports website. In the July 1978 issue, Consumer Reports rated the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon automobile "not acceptable", the first car it had judged such since the AMC Ambassador in 1968. In its testing they found the possibility of these models' developing an oscillatory yaw as a result of a sudden violent input to

16384-465: Was the best-known female public figure in the United States. Born in Cedarville, Illinois , Jane Addams was the youngest of eight children born into a prosperous northern Illinois family of English-American descent which traced back to colonial Pennsylvania. In 1863, when Addams was two years old, her mother, Sarah Addams ( née Weber), died while pregnant with her ninth child. Thereafter Addams

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