Borrowings Under Line of Credit Arrangement and Related Items (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009	Dec. 31, 2008	Jan. 24, 2011
Aggregate borrowings under the unsecured line of credit arrangement
Borrowings under unsecured line of credit arrangement	$ 300,000,000	$ 140,000,000	$ 570,000,000
Maximum amount outstanding at any month end	560,000,000	559,000,000	744,000,000
Average amount outstanding (total of daily principal balances divided by days in period)	268,762,000	241,463,000	500,561,000
Weighted average interest rate (actual interest expense divided by average borrowings outstanding)	1.48%	1.92%	3.77%
Borrowings Under Line of Credit Arrangement and Related Items (Textuals) [Abstract]
Unsecured line of credit	1,150,000,000			1,150,000,000
Number of banks in consortium	16
Maximum Interest payable period in months	no longer than three months
Libor Rate	0.87%
Applicable margin Over LIBOR, based on certain debt ratings	0.60%
Facility Fee as Percentage of commitment fee	0.15%
Annual agent's fee	$ 50,000			$ 1,725,000

Borrowings Under Line Of Credit Arrangement And Related Items Textuals Abstract.

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Facility Fee as Percentage of commitment fee.

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Libor Rate.

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Margin Over LIBOR.

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Number of banks in consortium.

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- Definition

Unsecured Line of Credit Facility, Weighted Average Interest Rate.

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- Definition

Amount of the fee that accompanies borrowing money under the debt instrument.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher SEC
-Name Regulation S-X (SX)
-Number 210
-Section 02
-Paragraph 22
-Article 5

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The carrying value as of the balance sheet date of the current and noncurrent portions of long-term obligations drawn from a line of credit, which is a bank's commitment to make loans up to a specific amount. Examples of items that might be included in the application of this element may consist of letters of credit, standby letters of credit, and revolving credit arrangements, under which borrowings can be made up to a maximum amount as of any point in time conditional on satisfaction of specified terms before, as of and after the date of drawdowns on the line. Includes short-term obligations that would normally be classified as current liabilities but for which (a) postbalance sheet date issuance of a long term obligation to refinance the short term obligation on a long term basis, or (b) the enterprise has entered into a financing agreement that clearly permits the enterprise to refinance the short-term obligation on a long term basis and the following conditions are met (1) the agreement does not expire within 1 year and is not cancelable by the lender except for violation of an objectively determinable provision, (2) no violation exists at the BS date, and (3) the lender has entered into the financing agreement is expected to be financially capable of honoring the agreement.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher SEC
-Name Regulation S-X (SX)
-Number 210
-Section 02
-Paragraph 19, 20, 22
-Article 5

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Average amount borrowed under the credit facility during the period.

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Description of the frequency of periodic payments, which may be presented in a variety of ways (for example, monthly, quarterly, annually).

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 129
-Paragraph 2, 4

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher SEC
-Name Regulation S-X (SX)
-Number 210
-Section 02
-Paragraph 19, 22
-Article 5

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Maximum borrowing capacity under the credit facility without consideration of any current restrictions on the amount that could be borrowed or the amounts currently outstanding under the facility.

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Maximum month-end amount borrowed under the credit facility during the period.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher SEC
-Name Industry Guide
-Number 3
-Section VII
-Subsection 2

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