Loan markets in everything

...a library in the Dutch city of Almelo plans to start its own human lending program next month. "The customers can rent a veiled Muslim woman and finally ask her all the questions they would never dare to ask if they met her on the street," says the director, Jan Krol. Of course, Mr. Krol must adopt his offerings to local tastes. So apart from the usual suspects -- a gay man, a Muslim and a gypsy -- there will also be a politician, a hard-drug user, a gay woman and a German (that World War II episode).

Here is the story, and thanks to Don Boudreaux for the pointer.