Dear Gentle Reader,

I am passing this on from a parishioner at St. Paul’s-Within-the Walls, Rome, Italy. Please read on — Pierre

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"I'm Mad as Hell" about the fact that 1 billion people worldwide live in chronic hunger, the billboards scream out.  In a surprising 1-minute video circulating on internet and airing on TV, British actor Jeremy Irons is "mad as hell" and wants you to get mad too.

Billboards, videos, whistle-blowing "flash mobs" and more - it's all part of a global communication campaign being rolled out by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which is based here in Rome.  With just 5 years to go to reach the first targets associated with the UN Millennium Development Goals, FAO is signaling to the world that we have gone radically off track with Goal no. 1 - the eradication of hunger and extreme poverty.

Unlike past FAO campaigns, this one is not upbeat.  In addition to the strong language, it uses disturbing black-and-white photography to illustrate the pain and humiliation of chronic hunger.

I have the privilege of being both a member of the St. Paul's-within-the-Walls community and an employee of FAO, where I am project manager for this global campaign launched on 11 May.

Most people in well-off countries like Italy, the U.K. or the U.S. are unaware of the massive scale of hunger that persists in the 21st century. By FAO's calculations, the number now stands at close to one billion, and when food prices spike upwards, the number can rise even higher.

But the crazy thing is that chronic hunger doesn't have to be a permanent feature of human society.  We already know what works against hunger:  peace

and stability, intelligent national policies, decent infrastructure, gender equity, improved seeds, training in modern farming techniques, and fair

trade.  The problem is that most political leaders have just never made it their top priority to resolve the hunger problem.  That goes for poor countries that need to change their policies, and rich countries that need to deliver on their promises of assistance.

What we are trying to do with the "I'm MAD as HELL" campaign is inform people - especially young people - about the scale of the problem and stir

them to action.  We want them to get angry about the fact that hunger exists on this scale when it is completely unnecessary.  The action we want them to

begin with is simple:  signing an online petition calling for politicians to take the necessary steps to end hunger.

We have set ourselves the goal of reaching 1 million signatures by late October, when the petition results will be presented to world leaders at the United Nations in New York.

I know that you're all busy people, but I also know your commitment to the UN Millennium Development Goals.  I'd be so pleased if everyone who receives

this could take a minute to look at the project's website, sign the petition and ask your friends and family to do the same.  Begin here: I’m Mad As Hell Too!

On behalf of the 1 billion hungry, thank you.

SHARON LEE COWAN

Rome, Italy