Balboa Bay Club

Editor's note: This corrects the spelling of Christopher Duma and Judy Voltmer's last names. A very special luncheon — intimate and inspirational — unfolded March 27 at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort. The Foundation for Neurosciences, Stroke and Recovery (FNSR) welcomed 60 passionate guests for luncheon by the bay and to participate in a session with Dr. Christopher Duma, executive director of FNSR, Allison Smith-Conway of Parkinson's In Balance and Todd Bischoff, also a Parkinson's activist.

TODAY Ugandan Bishop Speaks Bishop Patrick Okabe, of Uganda, will be preaching at the 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. services at the Community Church, 611 Heliotrope Ave., Corona del Mar. For more information, call (949) 644-7400 or visit http://www.cdmucc.org. Neuroscience Motivational Luncheon The Foundation for Neurosciences, Stroke and Recovery (FNSR) is hosting a luncheon that will highlight success stories of the neuroscience realm from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Balboa Bay Club, 1221 W. Coast Hwy., Newport Beach.

Sir Richard Branson , founder of the Virgin Group of companies and one of the world's most influential business leaders, appeared Jan. 25 at UC Irvine as part of the "Living Peace" series of talks co-hosted by UCI and a local nonprofit, the Center for Living Peace. Branson has also founded Virgin Unite, a nonprofit adjunct to his corporate empire. Its goal is to "to revolutionize the way businesses, governments and the social sector work together — driving business as a force for good," said Nancy Christiano , with the Center For Living Peace, in welcoming the British tycoon to Orange County.

The predicted high Friday is 72 degrees. But that's only one way to take the temperature in Newport-Mesa. Here are some other forecasts. Newport Beach's new Civic Center: early overcast giving way to sunny skies. A Catholic bishop once told me, "You never want to be the guy who built the cathedral. You want to be his successor. " The same can be said for city leaders and civic centers. I'm excited about the prospects for the new Civic Center, which promises to be a vibrant town square befitting a city of Newport Beach's stature.

I'm pretty sure Ronald Reagan would agree with me on this: For Newport Beach, there are better historical figures to canonize with bronze statues at the new Civic Center than the 40th president of the United States. In fact, if I could interview Reagan today, here's what I believe he'd say: Mr. President, they want to put a statue of you on the grounds of the new Civic Center in Newport Beach. What do you think? Well, that's certainly flattering, but why Newport Beach?