Cover: Brrrrrrp-zing!!!
'Froggy' creator Jonathan London has the lead on what kids will read.

News: Heavy Hitters
Who's who in the big ballgame of life.

The Year in Review: An irreverent look at the living and the dead by A. Lin Neumann.

The Cult of the Two Marys: Goddesses, virgins, and harlots‹an unkind history of women, sin, and redemption.

Puff, Puff: The slow-burning tale of anti-smoking laws.

The Scoop: Hale-Bopp cults, mad cows and other delights.

Climbing Up on Capitol Hill: Check up on the your Congressional Representatives and U.S. Senators--where they stand, how they voted.

Spins: Pairing up the best discs of '97.

Bang a Gong: Moby and Chumbawamba put messages before music.

Berry Merry: Kozlowski Farms goes back to its roots.

Bit o' Bubbly: Local sparklers add fizz and fun to your holidays.

Heard It Through the Grapevine: Get to the root of all things wine.

Talking Pictures: David Templeton catches up on some long-overdue correspondence in preparation of the upcoming new year and the 52 weeks of transcendental moviegoing that will be known as 1998.

Director's Cut: Quentin Tarantino dishes the dirt on Jackie Brown.

Dirty Harry: Does Woody Allen bare his soul in Deconstructing Harry?

Please don't forget to write! The Sonoma County Independent welcomes letters commenting on our coverage or other topics of local interest. Please keep all letters at 300 words or less (we reserve the right to edit them for length and style) and sign them (unsigned letters will not be published). A local phone number must be included for verification. Postal: Sonoma County Independent Letters, 540 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95401. Fax: 707/527-1288. Email: [email protected]. Emailers, please include name, city of residence and phone number. Letters printed will list email address unless otherwise specified. Letters to the editor are not currently published in the online version of this paper.