Moose, in Mooood for Love, Tries Making Cow Eyes

There’s no accounting for taste. In the case of a 700-pound bull moose in Shrewsbury, Vt., the object of his affection is a red and white Hereford cow named Jessica. The love-struck moose has not taken his eyes off her since he wandered into farmer Larry Carrara’s pasture over the weekend. Carrara said the odd couple stand close together, but that’s about it. “They’ve nuzzled like they’re kissing, but I ain’t seen no action,” he said. The courtship is an inconvenience for Carrara, who said the moose charges him every time he tries to feed his herd. And it has attracted a crowd of curious spectators, some from as far away as Colorado. One of them, state game warden Donald Gallus, predicted that the improbable infatuation would last only until the end of the mating season, which usually isn’t until November. “They do get pretty dopey-acting when they’re in this breeding mode,” he said.

--The wife of slain Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme has accepted the 1986 Albert Einstein peace prize in Washington in honor of her husband, who led a world crusade for human rights and nuclear disarmament. Lisbet Palme said the $50,000 award will be donated to the Olof Palme Memorial Fund, which promotes social causes and student exchanges. It was set up after Palme’s assassination in Stockholm last February as he and his wife walked home from a movie theater. His killer has not been found.

--Macomb County Sheriff William Hackel decided that a dry run was needed before opening the doors of the county’s new $27-million jail in Mount Clemens, Mich., to its intended guests. So he’s holding a charity fund-raiser called “Sunday in the Slammer.” Breaking the law is not necessary to gain admission, but writing a $50 check to your favorite charity is. “Inmates” will be photographed and fingerprinted on arrival and then assigned a cell and issued jail-house pajamas. Entertainment and breakfast prepared in the jail kitchen also will be provided. Because the jail is designed to hold 540 people, Hackel estimated that the event could raise as much as $25,000. “This will appeal to people who like to ride in a police car or who love to watch a fire truck pass,” he said.

--If there were a contest for contests, the Indonesian provincial capital of Semarang might win the prize. Among the slew of competitions held there over the weekend, 110-year-old Mardupi and his wife were named the country’s longest-surviving married couple for their 83-year marriage (11 children, 98 grandchildren and great-grandchildren). Winners of other events included: the shortest person (Partinah, 21 inches), the tallest (Soeparno, 34, at 7-foot-8) and the skinniest (Susianti, 24, whose waist measured a mere 17 inches). Over the last two years, Semarang has also held one-of-a-kind contests for crying, laughing, flattery and whistling.