Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits Level 1 (Notes)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

PENSIONS AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS [Abstract]

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]

PENSIONS AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS

We provide a noncontributory defined benefit pension plan covering substantially all of our Dutch employees (the "Dutch Plan") who were hired prior to 2007 based on years of service and final pay or career average pay, depending on when the employee began participating. The benefits earned by the employees are immediately vested.  We fund the future obligations of the Dutch Plan by purchasing investment contracts from a large multi-national insurance company.  The investment contracts are purchased annually and expire after five years at which time they are replaced with new contracts that are adjusted to include changes in the benefit obligation for the current year and redemption of the expired contracts.  We determine the fair value of these plan assets with the assistance of an actuary using observable inputs (Level 2).  We make annual premium payments to the insurance company, based on each employee's age and current salary.

The following table summarizes the components of net periodic pension cost under this plan for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010 (in thousands):

	Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
	September 30,						September 30,
	2011			2010			2011			2010
	(Unaudited)						(Unaudited)
Service cost	$	340		$	294		$	1,027		$	921
Interest cost	438			341			1,324			1,069
Expected return on plan assets	(204		)	(108		)	(616		)	(338		)
Amortization of transition asset	(21		)	(22		)	(65		)	(66		)
Amortization of prior service cost	39			40			119			120
Amortization of net loss	84			94			252			283
Net periodic pension cost	$	676		$	639		$	2,041		$	1,989

During the nine months ended September 30, 2011, we contributed approximately $1.9 million, as determined by the insurance company, to fund the estimated 2011 premiums on investment contracts held by the Dutch Plan.

We have adopted a non-qualified deferred compensation plan that allows certain highly compensated employees to defer a portion of their salary, commission and bonus, as well as the amount of any reductions in their deferrals under the deferred compensation plan for employees in the United States (the "Deferred Compensation Plan"), due to certain limitations imposed by the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Internal Revenue Code").  The Deferred Compensation Plan also provides for employer contributions to be made on behalf of participants equal in amount to certain forfeitures of, and/or reductions in, employer contributions that participants could have received under the 401(k) Plan in the absence of certain limitations imposed by the Internal Revenue Code. Employer contributions to the Deferred Compensation Plan vest ratably over a period of five years. Contributions to the plan are invested in equity and other investment fund assets, and carried on the balance sheet at fair value.  A participant's plan benefits include the participant's deferrals, the vested portion of the employer's contributions, and deemed investment gains and losses on such amounts. The benefits under these contracts are fully vested and payment of benefits generally commences as of the last day of the month following the termination of services except that the payment of benefits for select executives generally commences on the first working day following a six month waiting period following the date of termination.

On a recurring basis, we use the market approach to value certain assets and liabilities at fair value at quoted prices in an active market (Level 1) and certain assets and liabilities using significant other observable inputs (Level 2). We do not have any assets or liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3). Gains and losses related to the fair value changes in the deferred compensation assets and liabilities are recorded in General and Administrative Expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.  The following table summarizes the fair value balances (in thousands):

(Unaudited)			Fair Value Measurement at
			September 30, 2011
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Assets:
Deferred compensation plan trust assets	$	8,789	$	—	$	8,789	$	—
Liabilities:
Deferred compensation plan	$	13,197	$	2,611	$	10,586	$	—

			Fair Value Measurement at
			December 31, 2010
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Assets:
Deferred compensation plan trust assets	$	8,802	$	—	$	8,802	$	—
Liabilities:
Deferred compensation plan	$	13,063	$	2,275	$	10,788	$	—