I wanted to take a little time to respond to Al's comments in particular:
Bravo!
In my experience, it is important to always begin one's critique with a positive statement. It goes a long way in establishing your goodwill and in securing the willingness of an student or a fellow artist to listen to and accept your assessment. I'm not saying that you should "blow smoke up anyone's ass" but most people receive criticism much better if it is couched within even the smallest compliment.
With respect to Bonsai Garage's display, I think Al's assessment of the tree is accurate. It is a good tree that is well worth displaying.
I like that Al took the time to offer detailed comments about each element of the composition. And when I say "detailed" I'm not talking about minutiae like "the scroll should be moved 3 centimeters to the left". (I think when one is working with a display where the observer can change his or her perspective those minutiae become less of an issue; the general placement of the elements is more important.)
What I especially liked about Al's comments is that he adopted the tone of a supportive teacher speaking to a student. Granted, we do not all possess the experience, knowledge or wisdom to do so, but it behooves us to try and understand our own relationship to another artist. (Are you a teacher speaking to a student, an amateur to fellow amateur, or a dilletante speaking to an artist?)
In my own field, it's useless to hold students, amateurs and professionals to the same standards. While I might be supportive of a student's work, that same effort on the part of a professional would likely be met with general derision. I suspect it's the same with many other arts.
Finally, I really appreciate Al's use of humor. It really helps to lighten the mood, especially when we start to take ourselves too seriously. The reference to "Donkey bop" had me stumped until I looked it up online.
Cheers,
P