When, as his graduate research assistant, I was tasked with editing his curriculum vitae, I found myself holding a document of book length that would grow longer still in the decades ahead.

FORBES: James M. Buchanan: Economist, Philosopher, and Teacher. Requiescat In Pace.

Not until page 30 of the 84-page document can investors determine that they also will incur an "accrued holding rate" of 0.7% (adjusted quarterly) and an "accrued index adjustment factor" fee of 0.5% implying a total annual cost of 1.65%, or more than triple the reported fee.

WSJ: In New Funds, Old Flaws

"The industry is evolving very rapidly, and the law today is a 20th-century interpretation of an 18th-century document that is holding back the entire retail industry as it adapts to 21st-century consumer preferences and demand, " said David French, senior vice president for government affairs at the National Retail Federation, a retail-industry trade group lobbying for the legislation.

WSJ: Tax-Free Web Shopping Nears End

It was offered together with his Nobel diploma, a handsome two-page vellum document that contains an original picture of a long-haired youth in a blue tunic holding the Rod of Asclepius.

WSJ: Francis Crick's Nobel medal sells for over $2M

Ms Smith's predecessor as home secretary, John Reid, last month published a discussion document covering anti-terror measures being considered - including extending the 28-day limit of holding terror suspects without charge.

BBC: NEWS | UK | UK Politics | UK unity 'will defeat terrorists'