1.  Critics liken the practice to blackmail, saying the requests are usually thinly-veiled threats by executives to leave at a time when finding replacements would be tough.

2.  Herman likens the practice to vacuuming crystal stemware.

3.  Some have likened the practice of medicine to the piloting of an airplane because fatigue and error-prone systems cause fatal miscalculations in both arenas.

4.  Werner likened the practice to hiring a man who pumps gas for the job of decontaminating soil ruined by leaking gasoline storage tanks.

5.  Critics have slammed the EU for taking input from rivals of the GE-Honeywell deal, likening the practice to backroom lobbying.