Rotundus.com

Not too surprisingly the answer is no, but it seems a common enough myth that even the New York Times recently devoted an article to it, with Mark Bittman arguing that "despite extensive government subsidies, hyperprocessed food remains more expensive than food cooked at home". As an example he supplied a typical McDonalds meal versus a roast chicken at home (as well as a number of cheaper meals) - with the roast chicken .

The is probably why you hear this thought stated, but Bittman's argument against this measure seems sound (as does the counterargument that most homemade food is healthier):

Another argument runs that junk food is cheaper when measured by the calorie, and that this makes fast food essential for the poor because they need cheap calories. But given that half of the people in this country (and a higher percentage of poor people) consume too many calories rather than too few, measuring food’s value by the calorie makes as much sense as measuring a drink’s value by its alcohol content. (Why not drink 95 percent neutral grain spirit, the cheapest way to get drunk?)

I found this statement confusing:

“They’re sleeping in wet, moist blankets and it’s getting very cold now,” acknowledged [camp organizer Paul Hughes], who said he hopes that city officials will provide permanent, indoor space for the group.

The city is already providing them with "a firepit, portable toilets and garbage disposal". Hardy protesters indeed...

Per the New York Times: Still Counting Calories? Your Weight-Loss Plan May Be Outdated

“This study shows that conventional wisdom — to eat everything in moderation, eat fewer calories and avoid fatty foods — isn’t the best approach ...What you eat makes quite a difference. Just counting calories won’t matter much unless you look at the kinds of calories you’re eating.”

Unfortunately, the article didn't conclude with a statement that tonight's dinner of beer and wings was a particularly healthy meal. I am, of course, shocked.

A few other things:

But contrary to what many people believe, an increased intake of dairy products, whether low-fat (milk) or full-fat (milk and cheese), had a neutral effect on weight.

And despite conventional advice to eat less fat, weight loss was greatest among people who ate more yogurt and nuts, including peanut butter, over each four-year period.

Notes From a Dragon Mom

The beginnings of a recent New York Times op-ed: "My son is 18 months old and will likely die before his third birthday. Ronan was born with Tay-Sachs, a rare genetic disorder. He is slowly regressing into a vegetative state. He’ll become paralyzed, experience seizures, lose all of his senses before he dies. There is no treatment and no cure. How do you parent without a net, without a future, knowing that you will lose your child, bit by torturous bit?"

Twenty-First Century Excommunication

What Anglicans in the US are up to: "When the Church of the Good Shepherd in Binghamton, N.Y., left the Episcopal Church over disagreements about what the Bible says about sexuality, the congregation offered to pay for the building in which it worshiped. In return the Episcopal Church sued to seize the building, then sold it for a fraction of the price to someone who turned it into a mosque. ... Now the Episcopal Church has upped the ante: It has declared that if congregations break away and buy their sanctuaries, they must disaffiliate from any group that professes to be Anglican."

Charts on delayed motherhood

Are women who don't starting having children at a younger age compensating by having more children later in life?

Scant CO2 Benefit from China's Coal-Powered Electric Cars

In short, what powers your electrical grid matters (and so to do the patterns of charging these electrical cars, although that's not really the focus of this article).