sink stopper

You need a new sink or a new husband or both.

Googling "rubber sink stoppers" yields a couple of options (in addition to your neighborhood handware store):

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   has an apparently indestructible stopper w/chain for -something. Can pick up free at Ace Hardware dealer. Need to specify drain opening size,
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   Amazon has the flat rubber stopper fir .49, but be careful that it will fit siml. More often used in tubs. Still, who says you can't trim to size? Am almost sure these can be found at hardware stores.
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   every conceivable rubber stopper, but have to order in bulk. (Mark up the extra and sell to your neighbors

HTH

(anybody remember you had to take your own stopper to Russia and probably other countries way back when, Never understood that!)

Aspasia

You still can. The sinks that I've seen (and installed) have stopper mechanisms that allow the stopper to be installed in such a way that the lever moves the stopper both up and down (normal way). You can also install the stopper so that the lever only raises the stopper and the stopper can be simply pulled out.