'Give me back my kidney,' and more

"Give me back my kidney"

A New York man is suing his wife for the return of his kidney. Dr. Richard Batista says he was happy to donate the organ to wife Dawnell in 2001 when she needed a transplant, but now that they’re in the midst of an ugly divorce he would like it back, or its cash equivalent, which he estimates at $1.5 million. Medical ethicist Robert Veatch, however, says Batista’s lawsuit is unlikely to prevail, as his donation of the organ was clearly a gift. “It’s her kidney now,” Veatch says.

Teachers sells ad space on test papers

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A high school math teacher in a cash-strapped San Diego school district has been raising additional funds by selling ad space on his test papers. Tom Farber, who teaches calculus, says the ads have helped cover the cost of printing the tests—which often comes out of teachers’ pockets—and that the scheme has helped publicize the fiscal crisis in the nation’s schools. “I solved a problem,” says Farber, “and I’m getting a message out.”