>> The fact remains, some things are just that, flags... no further information necessary, no updating required. <<

I define a flag as a binary value which is set by an event. Can you
give me an example of a flag that is set without an event? People
keep trying to model yes/no questions a survey with flags. They get
screwed up when they need more status codes such as "not answered", "N/
A", "contradictory", etc. As you so nicely put it: "Real world design
and development dictates a little more flexibility than that."