Mayor Edwin Lee, interim mayor for Gavin Newsom who was elected as California’s lieutenant governor last November, has signed the proclomation proclaiming January 26th to be India Heritage Day in San Francisco, in honor and observance of India’s national day.

Read more about India’s Republic Day (wikipedia)

Gavin Newsom Sworn In As Lieutenant Governor Of California

Edwin Lee, San Francisco’s First Asian-American Mayor, Sworn In

On February 23rd and 24th, 2011, San Francisco Bangalore Sister Cities will be participating in the Global Green Cities Symposium at The JW Marriott Hotel, located at 500 Post Street in San Francisco, CA (map). Influential participants and exhibitors will be attending from all over the world to participate in this timely and powerful conference. With well-known corporate sponsors in the tech and green spaces and key business, political and academic speakers, the symposium will directly link discussions of green cities with the green economy.

In contrast with conferences where experts make presentations to a general audience, it is designed to directly engage all participants, delivering value for experts and practitioners. Its focus on the themes of design, technology and behavior is designed to facilitate the cross- fertilization of ideas and perspectives.

If you’re unable to make it to San Francisco, please watch the webcast at www.ustream.tv/ciscotv.

Check out the full story at GlobalGreenCities.com

The MOU between the School of Fashion, Academy of Art University (AAU) in San Francisco and the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Bangalore, which was signed under the auspices of the San Francisco-Bangalore Sister City Initiative, has produced vibrant student exchanges between the two institutions. We are pleased to announce that beginning in the Fall 2011 semester, the student exchange will expand to include NIFT campuses across India.

On May 5th, 2011 the School of Fashion, Academy of Art University in San Francisco will host its Annual Fashion Show and Awards Ceremony and announce the names of those student participants in the AAU-NIFT exchange for the 2010-2011 academic year.*

• * The Annual Fashion Show and Awards Ceremony on May 5th is by invitation only.
• The second run of the fashion show on Saturday, May 7th at 2:00pm is open to the public – free of charge.
• For more information and to RSVP to the Saturday, May 7th show, please visit:
  http://www.academyart.edu/forms/2011-05-07-sf-fashion-show.jsp

Mayor Gavin Newsom, who initiated and inked the San Francisco-Bangalore Sister City Initiative October 2008, is elected Lieutenant Governor of California! Mayor Newsom led a high-powered delegation to Bangalore in 2009 and the two cities signed over a dozen MOUs, several of which are now translating to concrete results. We wish Mayor and Lt. Gov. elect Gavin Newsom continued success in his leadership and look forward to his ongoing inspiration and support of the SFB initiatives on more ambitious scales!!

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On Diwali and in the coming year may you be blessed with success, prosperity and happiness!

Happy Diwali!

The San Francisco-Bangalore Initiative celebrated its second anniversary at the Asian Art Museum on November 1, 2010. The event feted the fruition of several MOUs signed during Mayor Gavin Newsom’s visit to Bangalore, including student exchanges between the SF Academy of Art and NIFT (National Institute of fashion Technology) and the send-off of the delegation heading the first technical mission (addressing water and waste management) from the City of SF to Bangalore. In attendance were VIPs from the City, partner companies, the Asian Art Museum, TiE, the SFB Committee as well as former SF Mayor Frank Jordan. The lively celebrations within the museum were punctuated with excited cheers from the Civic Center Plaza, as the San Francisco Giants rallied forth in game-5 of the world Series. The reception culminated to the victory cheers from the plaza as the Giants clinched the World Series title. History was made that balmy November evening!!!

It was a deliriously fun combination of Mardi Gras, New Year’s Eve and world championship – with the crowd of the century on hand to celebrate.

Hundreds of thousands of people jammed downtown San Francisco on Wednesday for the Giants’ World Series victory parade, one of the largest gatherings the city has seen in years.

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In response to the San Francisco – Bangalore Sister City Initiative, the School of Fashion at Academy of Art University in San Francisco and the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Bangalore, India established an international student exchange program that is commencing this fall.

The educational institutions have agreed to the international student exchange program for a minimum period of three years, sending two students from each school every fall and spring semester. Academy of Art University and NIFT expect that the successes of the exchange, coupled with the sustained interest of the students, are factors likely to influence the continuation and expansion of the exchange well beyond 2013.

Throughout history, diasporas have reflected economic or political disruptions, ultimately enriching the receiving countries. Silicon Valley’s dynamic churn is the latest example, as many Chinese and Indian migrants are returning home, ready to lay a new foundation for innovation and growth.

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