B-4, D-2, K-1, M-1, M-8. At times yesterday, the courtroom debate about the law that created a new civil service system for the Defense Department sounded like the judges and lawyers were playing Battleship, the game where opponents use a grid to target and sink ships.	Awoman in a rural South Asian village receives a loan of about $250 to buy a dairy cow. She milks the cow, sells the milk and improves her standard of living while repaying the loan. In much of the world, this is microfinance.	Matt Cardillo's parents were nearing retirement, and he didn't have a clue about their plans. He was only in his early 30s, but with a son on the way and a mortgage to pay, he couldn't help being concerned about their future financial stability.
The DuPont Company will eliminate 1,500 agriculture jobs and cut output of herbicides and pesticides in a plan to increase spending on genetically modified seeds, the company said yesterday.	Shell made the offer after months of pressure by Russia?’s environmental regulators, who threatened to freeze work on the project by revoking critical operating permits.	Hewlett-Packard?’s longtime chief financial officer, Robert P. Wayman, will give up the post this month and his seat on the company?’s board in March.