Obama's second inauguration was a lower-key affair as compared to the first inaguarion.  For one thing, the president's oath of office was taken in a private Sunday ceremony, before Monday's festivities. But overall, the event was less lavish than it was four years ago.  The Second Obama Presidential Inaguaration coincided with Martin Luther King's Official National Holiday on Monday January 21, 2013.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. King is often presented as a heroic leader in the history of modern American liberalism.

A Detail of the Memorial to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

"I Have a Dream" is a 17-minute public speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered on August 28, 1963, in which he called for racial equality and an end to discrimination.

World AIDS Day on December 1 brings together people from around the world to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and demonstrate international solidarity in the face of the pandemic. The day is an opportunity for public and private partners to spread awareness about the status of the pandemic and encourage progress in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care in high prevalence countries and around the world.

World AIDS Days (till 2015), will have the theme of "Getting to zero: zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths". The World AIDS Campaign focus on "Zero AIDS Related Deaths" signifies a push towards greater access to treatment for all; a call for governments to act now. It is a call to honor promises like the Abuja declaration and for African governments to at least hit targets for domestic spending on health and HIV.

June 4, 1920 - September 17, 2012

"I Emphasized That Concern for the Environment Cut Across Geographic Boundaries and Across Economic Groups"

Mr. Train joined the Nixon administration as under secretary of the interior. In that post he tested the environmental impact statement process by coordinating the government's work in setting rigorous engineering and environmental protection standards for the design and construction of the 789-mile Trans-Alaska Pipeline. He led the opposition to building a new Miami airport within the boundaries of Everglades National Park, and helped develop the federal Coastal Zone Management Act, which encourages states to preserve and restore wetlands, estuaries, beaches and coral reefs as well as the fish and wildlife living there.

The 2012 Summer Paralympic Games is the second-largest multi-sport event ever held in the United Kingdom after the Summer Olympics, and is expected to be the largest and most commercially successful Paralympics ever; prior to the Games the IPC estimated that over 4,200 athletes from 164 nations would compete.

164 Countries participated with a total of 4,294 athletes participating in 503 events in 20 sports.   The closing ceremony was held on Sunday, September 9, 2012.

Along with spending billions of dollars on better health care for the world's poor, Microsoft founder Bill Gates is increasingly turning his attention to Africa's struggling small farmers.  "We've been called 'the McDonald's of farming'," Rachel Zedeck says with a laugh. The former development worker is the founder of a start-up called Backpack Farm, which aims to help farmers in East Africa grow more crops, more food and ultimately earn money.

"The reality is that Africa is the breadbasket of the world, and in eastern and sub-Saharan Africa, the way to impact the vast majority of human beings is through farming," she says. It is a simple idea. The company sells smallholder farmers a backpack stuffed full of seeds, irrigation, "green" chemicals and tools along with training manuals and advise on how to farm efficiently. It can cost up to $2,000, but at that price also includes a drip irrigation kit and water tank. Backpack Farm says that while the cost might seem high, it's one seventh of what those materials would cost commercially. And it claims that the pack, used properly, can double or triple crop yields.