Of course, true Champagne is French only, as are Burgundy, Bordeaux and Cognac. But champagne and burgundy are used informally to refer to a wine category. When we say California (not Californian) champagne we are merely referring to the sparkling wine made in California that corresponds to Champagne.

(And no American brandy producer calls itself Cognac!)

That said, though California and other champagnes can be fine indeed, French Champagnes remain the best. No others can get the fine bubbles quite like the French.

i like rubber duckies much better than build-a-bears. the rubber ducky tells me when the water is too hot via temperature sensitive printing on the bottom. build-a-bears are only interesting to the person who makes it at the mall, not to the people that have to live with the starbucks- and sbarro-fueled whims of that person.

strategy: to get laid.
tactic: take a shower, brush teeth, clean all mcdonalds wrappers out of car, iron shirt, rehearse humorous anecdotes in head...

strategy is a plan/agenda established at the onset of a situation. like a vector, it has direction. although it is good to work toward a goal, the tunnel vision will prove limiting.

tactical is more about managing things as they come up and generally entails the willingness to compromise and yield. things tend to unfold as you remain flexible and navigate through a course.

i'm not sure you can do one at the absolute exclusion of the other, though i haven't given it too much thought.

if you haven't done so already, i recommend reading "the art of war". or start rock climbing. :-)

hmm...poor choice of words - "situation" and "course". tactical tends to be "situational" and strategy tends to be more of a "course".

"...about five bank accounts, three ounces, and two vehicles..."

vado retro, that is a monumental moment of clarity...ha, it made my day