All Shipments Are Required To Have Documented Weight Tickets: Fill & Download for Free

Children "mailed" by their parents because it was cheaper to mail them (Special Delivery)One of the most overlooked, yet most significant innovations of the early 20th century might be the Post Office’s decision to start shipping large parcels and packages through the mail. Up until 1913, the U.S. Postal Service didn’t deliver packages that weighed more than four pounds, which meant that American citizens had to hire private delivery companies whose prices for delivering packages were high.[1] However, that year it was announced that Americans could send packages weighing up to 11 pounds through the Post Office. In a period of just six months, due to increased access to mail order companies like Sears & Roebuck, millions of parcels were mailed, spurring the national economy to faster growth and particularly improved the lives of people in rural America.[2]When the US postal service began parcel deliveries on January 1, 1913, customers and postal officials were slowly becoming familiar with the ins and outs of the service.[3]People immediately started testing the limits of the system by mailing eggs, bricks, snakes and other unusual “packages.”[4] Different towns worked the system with different items, depending on how their postmaster interpreted the regulations. It wasn't long before some ingenious parents cottoned on to the idea of mailing their children. But they weren’t stuffed into mailbags; With stamps attached to their clothing, children rode trains to their destinations, accompanied by trusted postal workers.[5]In January 1913, the 10-month old baby boy of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse (Mathilda) Beauge of Batavia/ Glen Este, Ohio, was posted for the cost of 15c in stamps to his grandmother about a mile away by Rural Free Delivery carrier Vernon Little.[6] Baby James was just shy of the 11-pound weight limit for packages sent via Parcel Post. To avoid any impropriety, his parents did insure him for $50.[7] James Beauge became the first-known account of a child being sent through the mail.Charlotte May Pierstorff (Pam Crooks: "Neither Snow nor Rain..." Bizarre Post Office Tales - Petticoats & Pistols)Over the next few years, stories about children being mailed through rural routes would crop up from time to time as people pushed the limits of what could be sent through Parcel Post. In the most famous case, on February 19, 1914, a four-year-old girl named Charlotte May Pierstorff was “mailed” via train from her home in Grangeville, Idaho to her grandparents’ house about 3 hours and 73 miles away.[8] The postage stamps, $.55, cheaper than a train ticket ($1.55, which her parents could not afford) were attached to her coat. Her story has become so legendary that it was even made into a children’s book, Mailing May.[9] She was stamped and tagged on the back of her coat as a 54lb baby chick.The quirky story soon made newspapers, and for the next several years, similar stories would occasionally surface as other parents followed suit. “It got some headlines when it happened, probably because it was so cute,” United States Postal Service historian Jenny Lynch.[10]“Mrs. E. H. Staley of this city received her two-year-old nephew by parcel post to-day from his grandmother in Stratford, Okla., where he had been left for a visit three weeks ago.The boy wore a tag about his neck showing it had cost 18 cents to send him through the mails. He was transported 25 miles by rural route before reaching the railroad. He rode with the mail clerks, shared his lunch with them and arrived here in good condition.”[11]The practice is not as callous as it first appears, the few documented examples of children being sent through the mail were nearly all publicity stunts[12] , instances of people who knew the postal workers in their area asking them to carry their babies a relatively short distance along their routes to some nearby relatives, or cases in which children were listed as ‘mail’ so they could travel on trains without the necessity for purchasing a ticket.U.S. Parcel Post stamps of 1912-13. (People used to Ship Children via the Post Office)Postmen were trusted local officials whom rural people usually knew personally. May Pierstorff was herself sent with a cousin who was a postal clerk.[13] Nevertheless the US postal service tried to shut the practice down and had to issue a directive that no humans were to be carried in the mail.Fort McPherson, Ga.Postmaster General,Washington, D.C. — Sir: I have been corresponding with a party in Pa about getting a baby to rais (our home being without One.) May I ask you what specifications to use in wrapping so it (baby) would comply with regulations and be allowed shipment by parcel post as the express co are to rough in handling.The name signed to the letter is withheld at the request of Mr. Hitchcock.[14]As babies, in the opinion of the Postmaster General, do not fall within the category of bees and bugs — the only live things that may be transported by mail — he is apprehensive that he may not be of assistance to his correspondent.[15]The new regulation didn’t immediately stop people from sending their children by post. A year later, a woman mailed her six-year-old daughter from her home in Florida to her father’s home in Virginia. At 720 miles, it was longest postal trip of any of the children identified, and cost 15 cents in stamps.[16]Over the years, these stories continued to pop up from time to time as parents occasionally managed to slip their children through the mail thanks to rural workers willing to let it slide. Finally, on June 14, 1913, several newspapers including the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times all ran stories stating the the postmaster had officially decreed that children could no longer be sent through the mail.[17] But while this announcement seems to have stemmed the trickle of tots traveling via post, the story wasn’t entirely accurate. According to the regulations at that point, the only animals that were allowed in the mail were bees and bugs. There’s an account of May Pierstorff being mailed under the chicken rate, but actually chicks weren’t allowed until 1918.[18]Children may not be transported as parcel post, First Assistant Postmaster General Koons has ruled in passing upon two applications received at the Washington City Post Office for the transportation of children through the mail. Mr. Koons said children did not come within the classification of harmless live animals which do not require regulation.[19]The History of Rural Free Delivery - Community - GRIT Magazine“My father’s cousin was mailed by her father (Her father was a mine worker in Butte and couldn’t take care of her) in Montana to his parents in western Indiana after the death of her mother from the 1918 flu epidemic, which also killed her aunt and baby cousin in Indiana. My Dad said she arrived safely, albeit dirty from coal dust from the train, and in possession of substantial funds much given her by other passengers. This was approximately 1920.[20]But while the odd practice of sometimes slipping kids into the mail might be seen as incompetence or negligence on the part of the mail carriers, it should rather be considered indicative of just how much rural communities relied on and trusted local postal workers.[21] In essence, the mailing of children was never an official policy of the USPS. It was a sign of the times that people even considered the notion and it was really more of asking the postal worker for a favor because “he was going that way anyhow.” [22] Mail carriers were trusted servants. There are stories of rural carriers delivering babies and taking [care of the] sick. Even now, they’ll save lives because they’re sometimes the only persons that visit a remote household every day.Footnotes[1] That time in 1913 when it was legal and appropriate to mail children[2] Delivery of Dreams[3] Special Delivery[4] When People Used the Postal Service to Mail Their Children[5] Were Children Once Sent Through the U.S. Mail?[6] When It Was Legal in the United States to Mail Babies[7] Going postal...[8] Pam Crooks: "Neither Snow nor Rain..." Bizarre Post Office Tales - Petticoats & Pistols[9] Mailing May[10] Blog | National Postal Museum[11] Mailing Babies[12] Were Children Once Sent Through the U.S. Mail?[13] Wild West Magazine[14] Were Children Once Sent Through the U.S. Mail?[15] That Time in 1913 When People Actually Mailed Babies[16] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/05/24/mail-that-baby-a-brief-history-of-kids-sent-through-the-u-s-postal-service/[17] The curious cases of mailing children in 1913-1914[18] The U.S. Postal Service will mail you baby chickens. Yes, live chickens.[19] https://www.uspsoig.gov/document/rural-and-urban-origins-us-postal-service[20] The curious cases of mailing children in 1913-1914[21] https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.uspsoig.gov/sites/default/files/document-library-files/2019/RISC-WP-19-007.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwi0m7mCh-7qAhUEXM0KHR7fBtUQFjAJegQIBhAC&usg=AOvVaw0Q3iZH6pr2zrCtxr0PM_sa[22] The curious cases of mailing children in 1913-1914

They make weapons of furled hands.Epithalamion by Robert FernandezBlack market trade and smuggling in advanced military grade technology and know-how.Pakistan’s network of high tech trade in advanced military weapons and other forms of technology reached it’s zenith in the 1980s and 1990s when the vast expanses and uncontrolled border of Afghanistan permitted us to use the drug smuggling routes to funnel weapons technology from all over the world to secure warehouses in Pakistan, waiting shipment abroad.While every nation maintains networks specializing in weapons technology theft and so on, Pakistan punches well above it’s weight thanks to a number of unique factors that grant it a lot of advantages.We all know about the latest news items about Pakistani intelligence operatives stealing certain technical data for the Indian Brahmos cruise and the recent episode involving American Radiation Resistant circuits being smuggled to the Chinese and Russian space programs by Pakistani assets.Smuggling of U.S. Technology Is Outpacing Cold War Levels, Experts SayBrahMos Aerospace engineer arrested for allegedly leaking information to PakistanThis is unsurprising for me, to say the least. The Pakistani black market trade in weapons ranging from simple Russian shotguns being manufactured in the North West to Space technology is a core asset of Pakistani strategic planners. An asset that was developed to compensate for our economic, industrial and military disadvantages vis a vis larger and more powerful and industrialized countries like India.The network’s routes are far more ancient that some give it credit for. The “Afghan smuggler” is a constant phenomena in literature from Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Kim’ to other literary pieces and is a reference to how the Central Asian/Afghan routes have long been favored by smugglers who have carried trade and wealth across the vast steppes of Asia to connect the Middle Eastern empires and Ottomans to the Qin Dynasty and Mughal oligarchs since time immemorial.The Pakistani intelligence’s appropriation of such networks is only a post-colonial manifestation of a phenomena that has existed long before Pakistan even came to be.The black market for weapons trading developed through a multitude of factors:The Afghan drug trade.The Afghan drug trade is one that spans a vast network of routes ranging from Europe to North Africa to South East Asia is closely integrated with the black market weapons trade. The smuggling routes for weapons and the criminal networks that utilize them are often used by intelligence assets in Pakistan to get their hands on weapons far and wide as they leverage the drug trade and financing operations to maintain proxies in combat, recover tech, project force and make deals for recovered drones and tech components far and wide.Possibilities for Illicit Trafficking in the Wake of Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan: A Regional Problem2. The Nuclear program and the BCCI/ISI front operations.“Pakistan’s arsenal was built without the advantages that other members of the nuclear club have. It lacks the oil wealth of Iraq, Iran and the pensula sheikhdoms. It does not have the vast industrial base of its adversary India. It has neither Israel’s abund(ant technical expertise and secrecy). Pakistan is therefore the exception that makes the rule. It is a model of how far a down and out nation can go in acquiring nuclear arms when its leaders combine unwavering resolve with flexibility and imagination. Pakistan is the Horatio Alger nation of the atomic age.”Critical Mass: The Dangerous Race for Super weapons in a Fragmenting World, William E. Burrows.There has almost never been as large, as complex and as successful an international smuggling ring to smuggle key materials, technical designs and nuclear know how on an international scale as there was when the Pakistani nuclear program was begun. The entire operation was long studied and utilized by other nations like Iran, North Korea and Libya for their own operations but never really implemented as successfully.The network of intelligence, criminal elements, front companies, banking channels, money trails, smugglers and covert military elements that operate and maintain this vast enterprise do so with the blessing of Military Planners at the top in order to maintain a level of symmetry with the greater industrial power next door to our east.3. The Afghan Jihad and the Madrasahs funding.It is a dangerous thingto forget the climate of your birthplace,to choke out the voices of dead relativeswhen in dreams they call youby your secret name.It is dangerousto spurn the clothes you were born to wearfor the sake of fashion; dangerousto use weapons and sharp instrumentsyou are not familiar with; dangerousto disdain the plaster saintsbefore which your mother kneelspraying with embarrassing fervorthat you survive in the place you have chosen to live:a bare, cold room with no pictures on the walls,a forgetting place where she fears you will dieof loneliness and exposure.Jesús, María, y José, she says,el olvido is a dangerous thing.El Olvido by Judith Ortiz CoferThe Afghan Jihad coincided nearly perfectly with the Nuclear weapons program which allowed Pakistan considerable breathing room in developing it’s network of high-tech smuggling.More importantly, it enabled Pakistan to somewhat perfect the financing operations required to back up the entire enterprise, out of sight of most regular banking channels.From the International level BCCI bank to the Hawala system of funneling money through informal channels, the large finance network enabled the development of several front companies and payment methods that could sustain the international network for black market weapons. Too many spy films gloss over the dull and dreary details of front companies and money funneling that has to back up every large, international level network but it’s literally the backbone that sustains the entire operation.The system had it’s genesis in the 1970s when Pakistan first developed the financing operations needed to channel Gulf money into local madaris to erode the support base of ethnic nationalists fighting against the state. But then the system morphed into support payments for the Mujahideen, payments to front companies for the nuclear program, payments for the drug trade of the 90s, payments for armed proxies and so on. And became a much more larger and complex phenomena than originally designed.But the Afghan Jihad was the first battle field testing of the covert supply networks developed by the ISI which funneled money, high tech weaponry, intelligence, operatives and fighters from all over the world to the Jihad next door. The lessons and experience gained from this operation was also applied to the covert smuggling program to develop nuclear weapons leading to successes on that front as well.4. Criminal elements and their nexus with the Intelligence apparatus.“Brigadier TM’s mistrust of the ISI was based on a simple principle: The cops and thieves should be organized separately. His problem with the ISI was that everything was being done by the same people. After sweeping through the living quarters with their bug detectors and scanners and patting the seats of some random chairs, they had simply signed a document saying no espionage devices had been detected. Brigadier TM never knew whether to trust these signed documents. After all, potential presidential assassins don’t go about their business signing affidavits as they close in on their target. Brigadier TM had done his Staff and Command course, and he understood why a country needed an intelligence service, why an armed service needs to spy on its own men and officers, and he could live with that. But there was another reason he didn’t like these military intelligence types. Brigadier TM didn’t like them because they didn’t wear uniforms. It was hard enough to trust anyone who didn’t wear a uniform, but how on earth could you trust someone with a rank who didn’t wear a uniform? Brigadier TM considered ISI a menace on a par with the corrupt Pakistani police and lazy Saudi princes, but since his job was to watch and keep quiet, he never mentioned it in front of General Zia.”A Case of Exploding Mangoes, Muhammad HanifPakistan’s unique strategic location may not have paid dividends in terms of international trade with our neighbors, but criminal elements have been quick to exploit it.The weak civilian state dynamic of Pakistan has resulted in powerful criminal syndicates operating in the urban and border regions of the country, quite often in cahoots with the military’s intelligence apparatus.The vast plethora of crime syndicates that operate under the loose observation of the intelligence apparatus is mind boggling in variety: From Russian and Afghan drug smuggling syndicates, Drug dealers in North America, Car thieves, arms smugglers, ethnic gangs in the cities, money funneling services, front companies whitening money for tax evaders, paid hit men and of course, whatever proxies and mercenaries are up for hire.The benefits of such crime syndicates are that they have vastly greater ground level intel and operative capability than any militarized asset will ever have. And unlike terror outfits which are constantly hunted and strive for publicity, crime syndicates prefer to operate in the shadows away from the spotlight. Their job is to remain as underground as possible.This makes them excellent assets for any intelligence agency worth it’s salt. And the presence and operative capability of very large and powerful crime syndicates allied with the military intelligence apparatus of Pakistan, gives the state immense power projection capability in the sphere of high technology weapons trading and theft in the black markets.I should also mention that individual intelligence officers also make quite a buck working shady deals on the side for criminal enterprises without their boss’s know how at times, and with their deliberate blessing on other occasions (as long as you kick up 10% to your superior). Both cops and thieves in the same organization. What did you expect.5. A dumping ground of weapons and weapon mixtures.Pakistan’s ever shifting alliances and complex foreign policy situation has resulted in some of the oddest mix mashes of military gear the world’s military apparatus may have seen.We have F-16s being directed by Chinese AWACS.We have Russian Tanks being fitted with American Anti-Tank devices.We have French submarines carrying Chinese missiles.We have Russian helicopters carrying European electronic warfare suites.We have Swedish AWACs directing Chinese fighter bombers.Combined with this odd mix mash is the fact that we have been severely embargoed for most of our existence or have been refused weapon sales for a long part of our existence.This has necessitated the development of covert networks to score supply parts, weapons integration and other forms of ingenuity to actually make the patchwork Pakistani military machine operate to some bare minimum standard in the first place. A phenomena that has dramatically multiplied the importance of our vast weapons technology black market.6. Weapons trade: Trade one thing for another.When you come, as you soon must, to the streets of our city,Mad-eyed from stating the obvious,Not proclaiming our fall but begging usIn God’s name to have self-pity,Spare us all word of the weapons, their force and range,The long numbers that rocket the mind;Our slow, unreckoning hearts will be left behind,Unable to fear what is too strange.Advice to a Prophet by Richard WilburThe purpose of this entire network is not only to funnel weapons technology to Pakistan.We simply dont have the industrial capacity to develop and manufacture all the technical documentation and know how we get our hands on.The point of this network is trade up: the Brahmos technical stats will be noted and recorded in Pakistani logs and battle plans but their main client will be sitting in China and the US.Even our good friend China isn’t safe. Chinese large tech firms have been victims of Pakistani spying as well and their technical know how is often stolen by Pakistani intelligence operatives. Similarly, Russia, a proxy ally for whose space program a Pakistani asset was stealing the radiation resistant circuitry, has also been a victim of Pakistani intelligence assets: Operatives in Russia have passed on the metal designs and compositions used in Russian stealth aircraft to the Chinese on at least one occasion to help bolster the J-20 program (perhaps hoping for a discount on the aircraft if our air force ever decides to buy it).Another example of this is the trade between North Korea and Pakistan when the North Koreans had the medium range missiles but not the nuclear tech and Pakistan had the nuclear tech but not the medium range missiles.Resulting in a trade: Pakistan got North Korea’s Nodong missiles and renamed them Ghauri and North Korea got centrifuges for their nuclear program.The weapons trade allows Pakistani strategic planners to build up a deck of cards to be used for trading stuff they actually need. If Pakistan manages to get its hands on US naval maneuvers or US naval technology being used in the North Atlantic or South China sea, its useless to us.But it could be traded with Russia in exchange for some know about the Su-30 radar in the IAF. Or to China for some intel on their own Su-30s.The point is to stack up as many trade secrets as possible to trade them for stuff we actually might need.China however, remains one of the primary non-Pakistani clients for the technology that ends up in Pakistani hands. When the stealth helicopter that crashed in the OBL raid was in Pakistani hands, it was investigated in detail by Chinese engineers. The technology to design the fuselage for a stealth chopper has long been public domain knowledge since the 70s (the US Army published it themselves), but the tail segment design was something that not many could seem to get their hands on. Which of course meant that a few years later, Chinese helicopters had tail segments closely matching those of the stealth chopper that crashed in Abbottobad. China has been the recipient of stealth aircraft air frame details, hellfire missiles IR sensors, NATO miltops, NATO helicopters, NATO aircraft, electronics and circuitry for European military grade equipment and so on through the Pakistani channel for a long time. A somewhat more well hidden aspect to the relationship between both nations for a long time.7. An epicenter of constant hi-tech warfare.I have a special ticketto another planetbeyond this Earth.A comfortable world, and beautiful:a world without much smoke,not too hotand not too cold.The creaturesare gentler there,and the governmentshave no secrets.The police are nonexistent:there are no problemsand no fights.And the schoolsdon’t exhaust their studentswith too much workfor history has yet to startand there’s no geographyand no other languages.And even better:the warhas left its “r” behindand turned into love,so the weapons sleepbeneath the dust,and the planes pass bywithout shelling the cities,and the boatslook like smileson the water.All thingsare peacefuland kindon the other planetbeyond this Earth.But still I hesitateto go alone.Another Planet by Dunya MikhailPakistan has somewhat turned into an epicenter of high tech warfare since the 1980s when the first Soviet tanks rolled into Afghanistan. This has meant a lot of weapons have been literally falling out of the sky as far as Pakistan is concerned.I remember back during the peace process talks vis a vis Israel a long time ago, some Israeli news columnist suggest Pakistan could benefit a lot from recognizing Israel, particularly in terms of weapons tech.To which some Pakistani official sardonically replied why they would ever need Israeli tech when they literally raised their hands to the sky to pray and Allah would drop cruise missiles into their laps.He was referring to the Tomohawks that Clinton launched into Afghanistan during the late 90s to target Al-Qaeda positions but a few of which fell into the hands of Pakistani proxies in the Taliban and were promptly turned over to the Chinese for study and reverse engineering.This lead to the development of our Babur Cruise missile which bears a strange resemblance to the Tomohawk.This has been pretty standard procedure for Pakistan: Recover the technology, pass on to China, buy said technology at a discount from China once they figure out how to make it.Back in the 50s till 70s, the Middle East had the unique distinction of being a graveyard for high tech weapons but it seems the onus has shifted to the Af-Pak-Indo theater for a while now and made the region a hotspot for some advanced tech that seems to literally fall from the sky periodically and bolster the yield for our investments into high tech weapons smuggling.8. Pakistan’s armed proxies and their role in tech recovery.“I send love and weapons to everyone possessed with night visions.”Apocrypha by Peter GizziEverything from Hellfire missile IR sensors to components of UAV drones have made their way from Pakistan to China and to Pakistani labs as well for analysis and decomposition.Pakistan’s armed proxies in the field (aka certain Taliban factions) are critical to actually recovering some of this tech, extending the scope and reach of the network to rural areas which are too conflict prone to place actual assets in.And they are also critical to providing cover to the operations of some of those assets.Pakistan has long served as a supply route for NATO supplies to Afghanistan, and this has meant that some of the most valuable NATO tech supplies have had to pass through Pakistani ports and supply routes to reach the Afghan border.Now while containers could easily by ‘misplaced’ by some of the criminal networks that work the docks, this does not give enough cover to the intelligence apparatus to claim deniability if the US ever confronts them with the shipping manifests.So what they do instead is stage attacks on the border via Taliban proxies.The largest of these were the oil tanker blazes set by the Taliban but the more important ones were the theft of entire US helicopters like the Chinooks and the Black Hawk. The disappeared helicopters were reportedly dismantled and their parts carefully logged, collected and shipped to warehouses around the North West where as usual they were shared with the Chinese intelligence apparatus the Pakistanis work with.https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-41730Similarly, more smaller and mobile forms of equipment like military laptops, night vision helmets and other pieces of hardware have long been hawked in KPK’s “NATO Bazaar” where you can get NATO military gears from vendors selling vegetables on one side and NATO military sniper scope on the other side.The NATO bazaar used to mostly sell Russian and Soviet gear for a long time before NATO’s entry into Afghanistan, so I guess this counts as a good example of the free markets adjusting themselves to supply and demand.Gunmen set NATO tankers ablaze in Pakistan9. The International network is to make up for the intelligence apparatus’s failings in other areas.What barbarian thought to makeof thoughtless creatures weapons of war?Attack Underground by Sarah LindsaySo far this answer has sort of projected the Intelligence apparatus of Pakistan as almost infallible and omnipotent.Nothing could be further from the truth.With the exception of the Afghan Jihad (for which the ISI had considerable assistance from the Gulf Arabs and CIA), the ISI’s historical record is mixed at best.The agency was unable to locate key Indian divisions during the 65 war, predict the outcome of the 1970 election, predict the foreign policy reactions to the 71 war or the Indian incursions across the LOC at Siachen and other key border posts.Counter intelligence and counter espionage have been even worse with the agency failing to prevent CIA assets from taking actual photos of Pakistani nuclear weapons, phone tapping by RAW of key military and diplomatic personnel and defections to the US from it’s own Military Intelligence bureau.The ISI’s only claim to fame so far, has been it’s vast proliferation and technology smuggling networks. It is the only sphere where it has justified it’s budget and proven its mettle. And thus, the agency has taken great care to keep this department up to par in order to compensate for failings in other fields.While several larger states like Russia and China operate their own networks of spies and intelligence assets globally, Pakistan is somewhat unique since Pakistan’s network is extremely specialized in High tech weaponry. The Chinese have to diversify in order to steal civilian industrial secrets for their own companies as well. The Russians have elections and disinformation media campaigns to run on the side.But High tech weaponry is what gets all of Pakistan’s resources as far as our international black market networks are concerned.Pakistan’s domestic defense industry is still fairly nebulous and not as efficient as several other comparable industries. This is because the Defense production industry is closely wrapped up with the Military’s economic interests and outside the scope of privatization. And since military men make terrible managers, the industry has lagged heavily in terms of efficiency, retaining top talent, innovating and mastering difficult technological concepts. So we end up with giant state organizations run by the military, employing retired military officers that are an immense burden on the tax payers, barely producing exports and doing the bare minimum of indigenous arms development.Only the nuclear and missile tech cycles are fairly well understood and indigenous but one needs to remember that missiles and nuclear tech is nearly 60–70 year old technology at this point.The Indians have done fairly better in this field thanks to better funding and smarter incorporation of the private sector into defense enterprises, resulting in more innovation and technical mastery than the government subsidized, slow moving behemoths with non-technical managers that we have on our end.China has been our saving grace in more advanced technology ventures like satellites, electronic warfare, drones, radars and stealth. Our vast defense production behemoths serve more as import/export clearing houses, some basic technological research and operations mostly.There’s a running joke about this:Pakistani scientist 1: “Who is the best, most innovative technological organization in Pakistan? KRL? NESCOM? NDC?”Pakistani scientist 2: “The ISI ofcourse”The high tech black market for weapons maintained by the intelligence services of the country, in a vast nexus spanning nearly 5 continents and integrating actors like North American drug dealers, the Taliban, Russian mobsters, Turkish smugglers, Ethnic Pakistani gangs and Arab money dealers has been the saving grace of many a strategic program and objective as far as Pakistan is concerned.At the core of Pakistan’s defense policy is the knowledge that we cannot win a conventional war against India anymore: And our continuous survival must come from a mix mash of constant, tactical moves that match the fluid nature of our environment.Maintain a credible deterrent that ensures our survival. Use covert networks of proxies to project force and interests in the near neighborhood. Have enough economic and technological diversity to withstand sanction pressure and ecological degradation. Maintain a network of foreign alliances that will intervene on our behalf in the powerful international bodies and will lend weight to our negotiation credibility. Maintain enough a military capability to buy time for a diplomatic resolution to any outbreak of conflict. And of course *cough* keep the civies down and maintain the military’s domestic interests *cough*.The covert international network of high technology smuggling and theft contributes to nearly every one of the above objectives. The network has been battered heavily by Gaddafi’s leaking of it’s assets to foreign powers, the AQ Khan scandal, the growing scrutiny of financial channels for terror financing which has reduced the space available for funding, growing scrutiny of Pakistan’s intelligence activities and so on. And yet, the network has continued to produced surprisingly credible results despite the vast reduction in space available to it in the 21st century. The funny thing is, as technology progresses and the Russians, Chinese and Americans bolster their cyber defenses and high tech gadgetry to protect their secrets, more and more of the world begins to forget some of the old school ways of smuggling and theft that the Pakistani intelligence apparatus specializes in. And leaves them more exposed to outdated practices used by smaller, low tech networks that the Pakistani networks employ as they adapt more to high tech adversaries.While other powers maintain such networks, they do not specialize to the extent Pakistan has nor is their national survival as dependent on them as Pakistan’s is. Which is why Pakistan has somewhat excelled in this dubious, nebulous, shadowy part of the world which others have either ignored or not been able to crack due to lack of desperate need for it.And yet, despite it’s accomplishments, I have but an earnest desire for a Pakistan that needs no such grand enterprises to ensure it’s survival. There is an untold tale of human suffering in all this that is hard to put into words. It’s the price for existence, some tell us, we would be Libya or Iraq without all of this.But for me at least, I wish we were a normal enough country that we could just be known for our FIFA footballs and nothing else, in a quiet little corner of the world.Everybody inany room is asmuggler. I walked fiery andtalked in thestars of the automatic weaponsand partly for youWhich you. You know.At Night the States by Alice NotleyNATO gear being sold in KPK, Pakistan.https://tribune.com.pk/story/189200/welcome-to-the-american-market-on-sale-night-vision-goggles-rpgs/

A delivery service is a business that almost anyone can start. Such a service is one that can offered to business needing supplies documents delivered or those needing personal errands to be run. The start-up costs for a delivery business are small, and regardless of your niche, you have to treat it like any business by first developing a comprehensive business plan and making a research into the niche you will be going to.What Does It Take to Start a Delivery Business?Depending on the state or county you will be operating from, you will need to find out the licenses or permits that will be needed before starting out. However, majority of your business will be done outside your home or office, as you will most likely be out delivering your packages, and will need your home or office to keep documents and store packages.When starting off, you not only will need car insurance if you will be using your car; but you will also need to make a list of the businesses in your area that you believe will benefit from your delivery service. They could be grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, banks, flower shops, offices, gift shops, or even hospitals. Apart from these places, you can also consider senior centers and consider delivering to seniors who can’t move. You would also have to consider pricing your services appropriately depending on your clients.So, if you are looking to start a lucrative delivery business, then you may want to consider some of these business ideas that are being listed below.50 Delivery Business Ideas That Can Make You a MillionaireLegal Notice DeliveryThe service of a notice is often a key step in creating, exercising, maintaining or terminating legal rights pursuant to a lease, a contract for the sale of property or an option agreement. Key examples include, notices under the Landlord and Tenant Act, break notices, court appearances, and option notices.As one going into this niche, you have to understand the importance of notices, and make sure that a notice is served strictly in accordance with the relevant requirements is essential. Failure to follow this strict requirement might lead to consequences. You would have to work closely with law offices and attorneys in your region.2. Print DeliveryThis kind of delivery business that specializes in print jobs, which could range from business cards, canvas, fliers, handbills, and others. You would have to understand that with this business it is important that clients get their jobs on time. To help you out, you can set time frames for job delivery. The time frames would depend on whether the order delivery was directly from the store, or whether you were contacted to handle the delivery by the owner of the printed jobs.Your charges will depend on your clients and the kind of jobs that you will be delivering. You would have to work closely with print jobs and advertising agencies too.3. Machinery Hauler BusinessMachinery hauling refers to heavy equipment. Any entrepreneur going into this business would need not only a large truck for hauling but also enough capital for insurance, licenses and permit. Heavy machinery is often required by construction companies, mining companies, and other such companies like that.You would need to thoroughly research into this area properly, and ensure that you deliver the equipment as at when need and within the time schedule.4. Grocery DeliveryDelivering groceries is convenient for some people as it is inconvenient for other people. Time is precious to most people as their jobs make them busy and they will gladly pay extra bucks to have their grocery delivered to them.You would need to have several coolers to keep the grocery fresh, frozen and cool especially in hot weather. You would need a cell phone, car for delivery, and a website, though this is optional. In setting your prices, find out the rates your competitors are setting and charge yours accordingly.5. Egg Delivery BusinessEgg is a product that is consumed both adults and children as it can be fried, cooked, toasted, and used for other means such as health. If you start your own egg delivery, you can be assured of being in business as long as you want, as new markets would continually open up for you once clients see how reliable you are.The demand for eggs not only stops with individuals but with businesses too, such as hotels and restaurants. In starting this business, you would need to partner with as many local farmers as possible, depending on the demand. Also, you would need a truck or car to safely deliver the eggs.6. Furniture Delivery and Assembly BusinessIf you are a handy person and have a truck and basic tools, then starting a furniture delivery and assembly business is the perfect new venture for you. The business can be managed from home, so that your overhead costs are at a minimum.Before starting out however, contact your local furniture and office supply stores to see if they are already providing their customers with a delivery and assembly option. If they aren’t, strike a deal to provide their customers with the business. Another company to partner with is a moving truck company, as they are usually moving lots of furniture from one place to another.7. Sandwich and Salad Delivery BusinessThis is an inexpensive business to go into and has the potential of generating good revenue for you weekly. Ideally, you would have to establish a sandwich route in office districts or industrial districts of a community or city, as this would enable that you already have a large number of customers.If you won’t be making the sandwiches yourself, you could partner with a catering service or restaurant that will supply the sandwiches and salad on a regular basis, while you build a customer base to purchase the sandwiches and salads.8. Bread and Milk Delivery ServiceIf you are looking into a profitable business venture and that will provide you with a steady income, then the delivery of bread and milk is sure to guarantee you that, as almost everyone eats bread and milk.Once you start this business, the most important thing you would have to consider is to make sure that the product from a trusted manufacturer, so as to ensure the freshness and quality of your delivery. The essential factor to consider here is that you would need to be waking up early so as to ensure that your customers get their breakfast early enough. You would need a reliable vehicle to be successful in this business.9. Computer Delivery and Assembly ServiceIn starting out this business, the best way is to establish joint ventures with retailers of new and secondhand computer systems and equipment. You could also consider marketing additional products and services along with the delivery and assembly service, which could include computer security items retail, computer cleaning services, as well as software installations and other kinds of services.Operating the computer delivery and assembly service will require that you have knowledge of computers and software. Handling this business properly could yield enough revenue.10. Online Ordering SystemThis is a process that allows customers order for what they want online; choose the items they want, a delivery time and a store location. This kind of business will require more than one person involved, so that one handles the online orders, while the other delivers.This is also known as a convenience kind of business, where customers get to decide what item is convenient for them plus the delivery time as well.11. Coffee Delivery BusinessCoffee is one breakfast beverage that people love to take in the morning. Most people love to start their morning with a fresh brew of coffee, which is why the coffee delivery business is a great business that will be of immense benefit to people. You could deliver to offices and help employers keep their employees happy.The most important factor in starting this business is the location, if you do not have a strategic location, having the best coffee in the world would not matter, if you would not be able to deliver to people that would want it on time. Also, you have to ensure that you have different tastes and flavors of coffee.12. Clothing Subscription ServicesThis is a service for those who need little help with their wardrobe. The way which people can shop has changed over the past few years, with a variety of subscription websites now existing to allow people set their preference and receive new shipments of clothing bi-weekly, monthly or quarterly.An entrepreneur starting this business has to ensure that he or she aggressively sources for clients both offline and online, as business will only begin to grow few years after customers might have known about it.13. Eyeglasses Delivery BusinessAround 20% of the entire population of the world needs correction eyeglasses at certain times of their life, hence, starting off this business has a lot of potentials. In starting off this business, you would need to deliver the eyeglasses to the correct owners and get a commission for doing so. You would need a bicycle, motorcycle or a car and a cell phone.14. Fruit Delivery BusinessThis is for those who want fresh fruits that are organic and straight from the orchard or farm. Customers get to select the fruits they want, and you partner with the locals to inspect the fruits and ensure that you will be delivering only fresh fruits to your customers.In this business, you would need a cell phone and a reliable car to be able to deliver the fruits to your customers when and where they would need them. You can get your clients to set up a standing order, that way you get to deliver the fruits at a scheduled time.15. Chuck Wagon BusinessChuck Wagons are converted delivery step vans. Chuck wagons are everywhere and this type of business venture can be regarded as very easy. You can get an enclosed trailer and convert it to a chuck wagon, and equip it with fryers and grills. You can also purchase an already fitted chuck wagon to use.This business is flexible in terms of hours and location; your location can be anywhere. As an entrepreneur starting out, you will need to acquire a vendor’s permit and health board certificate to be able to operate.16. Bottled Water Delivery BusinessIt is estimated that half of the 6 billion people living on earth have no access to clean water, which is why a lot of people are forced to buy water especially to drink; and due to the fact that water is drunk everyday especially as doctors and fitness experts advise people to drink at least 8 glasses a day, this is not a business that would be stopping anytime soon.If you want to go into this business, apart from obtaining a business license in order to operate, you would need to establish a consistent billing plan that will ensure that your customers continue to patronize your services, and also be consistent in your delivery of the water to your customers.17. Pizza Delivery BusinessStarting a pizza business delivery business is not only a profitable kind of business because of the high yields in profit margin, but it is a popular choice of food deliveries. If you enjoy unique creations and like to cook, you would find the pizza delivery business to be an enjoyable venture.You first have to develop a comprehensive business plan, where you will outline your ideas, objectives, obstacles and possible pitfalls that you might encounter. After getting a good location, you would need to prepare a menu and tweak them to the standard your customers would enjoy.18. Transplant Organ Courier ServiceTransplant organ courier services are those that are employed by donor agencies and hospitals to help transfer organs from hospital to hospital. As a courier in this kind of business, you will be required to use different means of transport from cars and airplanes so that the organs can be carried in small containers full of ice, and delivered on time to where it is needed.In starting this business, it would require that you meet certain strict requirements and have special licenses from the state you would be operating on.19. Laboratory Test DeliveryThe healthcare industry is changing dramatically, as more and more people are being urged to take responsibility for their health, which calls for more people needing their blood work or other kinds of tests done. Usually, the tests results are regarded as private documents, but there are so many factors that can cause one not to be around to take their tests, which is where a delivery service for laboratory results comes into play.In starting this business, you would require a several licenses and permits, as you will be delivering results to other healthcare facilities and individuals.20. Pet Food Delivery BusinessAccording to the American Pet Products Association, 71.4 million homes own a pet, with 93.6 million cats and 77.7 million dogs. The total expenditure for the pet industry exceeds $45.5 billion. Annually, each pet household spends $229 on dog food and $203 on cat food. This makes this industry perfect for any serious entrepreneur.All you would need to start this business is a cell phone, a computer, and a reliable van. You can work from home, and use your garage as a storage space for ordered bulk products. You also do not need to limit your services to food only, as you could deliver toys, litters, treats and food bowls as well.21. Community Delivery ServiceIf you have a cell phone to handle customers calls and a reliable means of transportation, you can offer clients in your community convenient and fast delivery services that can encompass a whole lot of services such as spirits, dry cleaning, fast foods, event tickets, medications, groceries, flowers, pet foods and anything else imaginable that can be delivered.The business would require that you put your management and marketing skills to work. You could also subcontract certain tasks to others and then split the revenue according to an agreed split rate.22. Auto Parts DeliveryAuto parts delivery is an intense business due to the high rate of competition but it is a lucrative business as well. To be successful in this business, you would need to achieve all the necessary requirements necessary for you to start.To start this business, several factors need to be considered. You first need to research on the local auto service market. Research will help you learn who your strongest competitors are. Secondly, you will need to pick a strategic location, where customers can see your business and contact you when necessary.23. Balloon Delivery ServiceBefore starting a balloon delivery business, you will need to determine exactly what balloons you’d want to be selling to your customers, and the areas you would like to cover. It’d be best though if you start small, and work your way outward as your business grows in size.Depending on your budget, get what you need first. Contact potential clients and tell them about your business. Ensure that you develop a logo and catchy name for your business.24. Office Supply StoreDelivering to an office is a recession proof business because offices need a regular supply to cater to their various needs day-to-day such as ink, paper, paper clips, and so many other things. This business is a lucrative and sustainable business for any serious entrepreneur.In starting this business, you will have to estimate the start-up costs, write your business plan and obtain your financing. You will also need to find wholesale suppliers and partner with them to be able to deliver regularly at offices.25. Liquor Delivery Service BusinessThe liquor delivery business has the right yield for the right entrepreneur, and is quite recession proof. While most service based industries tend to suffer during economic downturns, this has not affected the demand for liquor which remains high. The downside of this business is that it is a regulated service industry and is subject to variable regulatory concerns depending on the city one is operating in.Home delivery of liquor is a niche market that has remained controversial since it is susceptible to abuse as it can be delivered to minors. If you are starting up this business, you will need to accommodate several limitations such as the time liquor can be delivered, the amount you can deliver, the age of the delivery person, and the documentation requirement for the recipient.26. Air Freight BusinessStarting this kind of business is not for the faint of heart or an unserious entrepreneur. This is a high tech, expensive and somewhat complicated business. You can enter this business either as a commercial cargo carrier or as a freight forwarder. If you intend to be a cargo carrier, you would need a plane or fleet of planes to be able to carry cargo from one destination to another. A freight forwarder on the other hand will need just the use of a commercial carrier.You would need to carry out a thorough research on this kind of business, and a business plan as well. Also there are certain requirements that you might be required to fulfill, like procuring papers to allow you move the goods.27. School Supply BusinessA school supply business can be a traditional brick and mortar business or an online business. Your supply and delivery store should be capable of delivering supplies to schools where and when they are needed. You would need to approach schools and ask if they have a supply service, if they do not, you could then fill up the gap.In order to start a school supply business, you would need to get a great location, suitable budget, and a reliable wholesale supplier. Your delivery system would have to be very reliable.28. Flyer Delivery BusinessBusinesses and organizations use fliers as a means of promoting their brands, for sales and specials, and for any upcoming events. Flyers are an inexpensive way of spreading marketing message to the target markets. If you are going to be starting this kind of business, you would need to have a cell phone and a reliable means of transport.29. School Bus ServicesA school bus is very important especially for parents who don’t have any other means of taking their children to school. If you are living in a neighborhood that has a lots of students, this is the opportunity you need at starting this business, and making the business a success.You will need a vehicle to deliver the children to either their homes or the school. You will also need to find out the requirements and licenses that will be required from you, especially as you would be handling so many young children at once. You would also need to ensure that your vehicle is safe in transporting children.30. Restaurant Delivery Service BusinessAccording to the Food and Nutrition website, nearly 60% of every dollar spent on food is spent on food consumed outside the home. Restaurants not only wait for customers to come to their establishments, they are also offering prepared food ready to heat and eat at home for customers that require such services.In starting this business, you would have to decide on the delivery area, you intend to service. It’d be best if you choose an area with a high population and income that will help sustain your business. Working couples and especially upscale families are a good target niche.31. Bicycle Service CourierIn starting this business, you would need to check and see if a courier license is required in the vicinity you want to operate from. It is only after you have cleared this hurdle that you can then look into marketing your bicycle courier services.You can charge your customers similar rates as tem motorized couriers charge with more benefits accrued to you, especially as your overhead and operating costs will be a tiny fraction of motorized couriers. One person with a cell phone can handle this business, and as it expands, there can be multiple bikes with a central dispatch system.32. Newspaper Delivery ServiceThis is an old business but can still be profitable if you make a thorough research into this field. If you are determined, you can carve out a share for yourself in this market. You can create your own niche by looking for a service to add to your newspaper delivery.You will need a bicycle to be able to carry out this business successfully. You also have to work in an area, where there is scarcity of newspaper deliverers and look to make your own service stand out.33. After Hours Delivery ServiceThis is a niche kind of delivery service where customers can receive their packages after the normal delivery hours. If you are starting this kind of business, then you should be on hand to partner with courier services so as to be able to serve your customers well. You would need to have a cell phone and a car to be able to carry out this kind of business.34. Rental Table and Chair Delivery BusinessRental chairs and tables are an essential part aspect of the entertainment industry. People rent tables and chairs for small and large scale events, such as birthday parties, school reunions, meetings, seminars and conferences, or any occasion that would require the sitting of guests.In starting this business, you’d have to partner with several event planners so as to be able to help them with delivering chairs and rentals to the occasion they are in charge of.35. Medical Supply BusinessMedical professionals of all kinds from opticians to midwives, from veterinarians to dentists, all need specific supplies to be able to carry out their jobs effectively and efficiently. Most medical equipments are usually gotten from niche companies, delivering medical equipment is another niche that you can go into.To start this kind of business, you need to target a niche and decide which area you would love to deliver to. You would also need to find out the requirements and licenses from the state’s public health department that would be required from you.36. Airport Shuttle ServiceAn airport shuttle service is a very profitable business to own and operate. The largest challenge in starting this business is in acquiring an operator’s license, which is usually very difficult to obtain through the local government channels in most areas of the country.It is however not impossible to obtain an operator’s license. This kind of business is best accomplished by building alliances and partnerships with companies and local business that can supply you with customers.37. Post Office BusinessThis kind of business is ideal to start up in new communities, and many entrepreneurs are exploring this venture. If you decide to go into this business, you should carry out a thorough research so as to understand all the important details regarding the business before starting off. You will deliver letters and packages to clients.Running this kind of business will require a business plan, where you will need to indicate how you intend to run your business and attract customers.38. Dinner Ingredients DeliveryWorking couples do not want the hassles of going back home to cook up dinner after a stressful day; this is the niche that this business intends to cover. Having pre-packed ingredients for clients so that they can cook when they get home will turn a nice profit for your business.In starting this business, you would need to get the necessary food packs for the ready to cook ingredients, a cell phone and a reliable means of transport.39. Drug Delivery BusinessNo, you aren’t to deliver illegal drugs, but prescription drugs. Some sick people usually require assistance with refilling their prescriptions. Also seniors face these challenges especially when they have serious health issues. This is an opportunity market for any serious entrepreneur.However, you have to research on this business properly so you would find out the requirements, as you might need a special license to be able to handle drugs on behalf of others, which may be prone to abuse.40. Dry Cleaning DeliveryFor those with good organizational skills, and hoping to earn good money, then this business might just be the one for you. You will need to contract with dry-cleaning establishments so as to be able to comfortable deliver service to your customer. Your task will be to pick up the dirty clothes from their homes and offices, take them in for cleaning, and pick them up after servicing and returning to the rightful owners.You can choose to arrange with your customers on when you would need to be stopping by, and if you would be picking up more dirty clothes, as you return the clean ones. You could also decide to give your customers the emergency pickup option.41. Diaper Delivery ServiceBefore starting this business, it would be best if you carry out a thorough research and feasibility study as to the state or county’s requirements. Starting the business will only see you have a tiny fraction of the market, as people would only become aware of your business after a few years.You will have to determine what type of diaper will be offered in your diaper service. You will need to get the list of manufacturers who supply diapers in bulk and partner with the ones that will be favorable to your business. Most people in this business deliver cloth diapers and sanitize the diapers before delivering them. You would need to pick out a niche for yourself.42. Senior Errand Service BusinessDue to the fact that people get older, they are less capable of carrying out certain daily tasks like picking up prescription service, grocery shopping, and other such tasks. This is where the errand service comes in.Serious errand runners can make a nice profit if they are serious. To get started, you will have to decide on the legal structure and name of your business. You will also need insurance, a cell phone and a reliable means of transport to get you and your customers to whatever errands you might need to run.43. Concierge ServiceConcierges help deliver services to individuals and organizations, by ensuring that clients stay organized above the clutter of life or the environment around them. In this regard, concierges offer a service delivery business.To start this business, you have got to have a knack of ensuring your clients have it stress-free by running errands, and doing whatever is necessary.44. Flower Delivery BusinessIf you are passionate about flowers and have the skills in arranging flowers, you can start your own flower delivery business. The first thing you would need to do is to find the perfect location. You would need to find somewhere that doesn’t have the too much competition.Ensure you get the appropriate licenses and permits. You will also need to get a business phone where clients would be able to use to get in touch with you, and have you deliver flowers to them.45. Quick Messenger ServiceThis is for people who do not want to use the regular courier or errand person in getting things. This kind of service is not limited to an age group. A quick messenger service is a specialized form of delivery service and can be regarded as a niche market.46. Mail Order Catalog BusinessYou would need to develop a business plan that determines the types of products you want to sell and how your catalog will be different from other catalogs that sells the same items as yourself. You would need to research on the startup expenses that would be required to run this business.Obtain the necessary finances, and there are many ways you can do this, which is through your savings, or third parties such as fried and families or investors. After getting a good location, you would then need to source for the products that you intend to sell.47. Marijuana Delivery BusinessThe marijuana business is one that has very strict requirements and also needs a large amount of finance to start off. This should not however stop you from going into this kind of business, as you can go into marijuana delivery business.You would need a steady source of supply so that you do not run out of supply for your customers. You would be required to have a medical marijuana recommendation, and will also need to collect a standard documentation from each of the clients you deliver to.48. Lunch Delivery ServicePeople who are busy at work, seniors who barely have the time will want to be able to have their lunches according to their specification without needing to go out or pack a lunch to work. This can be done over the internet or through a call.To deliver this kind of service, you would need to partner with restaurants that can offer up different dishes where customers can choose from.49. Gift Basket Delivery BusinessA gift basket is usually a creative venture, as one has to be creative about the kind of gifts placed inside the basket. To go into this business, you would have to either start your own gift basket business or partner with those who are into the business and help them in delivering to their customers.To start this business, you would need a reliable means of transport as well as a cell phone to stay in touch with your partners and your customers as well. This is a business that can turn a nice profit for you.50. Courier ServiceAnyone can start a courier service, as long as they have a reliable means of transportation, that will enable them pick up and deliver packages each day. Your means of transportation could be a car or van, only becoming a truck when you have to deliver a large number of packages.Most people starting this business usually start from home to reduce overhead cost. You have to decide if you want to focus on residential customers, business customers or both. You can decide what kind of packages you would want to deliver and their weights too.In conclusion, even as the economy is poor, you can successfully run a delivery business. People want the ease of having things brought to their door. With a cell phone and reliable transportation, you can deliver just about anything legally imaginable for your clients.