Four of the constituent states of the United States officially designate themselves Commonwealths: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

This designation, which has no constitutional impact, emphasizes that they have a "government based on the common consent of the people" as opposed to one legitimized through their earlier Royal Colony status that was derived from the King of Great Britain.

The word commonwealth in this context refers to the common "wealth" or welfare of the public and is an older term for 'republic' (Cf. the 17th century Commonwealth of England). In common parlance, people do not make the distinction between state or commonwealth.

1: A member of a primitive people dwelling in caves or pits : CAVE DWELLER b : an animal (as an ant) that lives under the surface of the ground

2: A person felt to resemble (as in appearance, ways of living, or degradation or brutality of nature) a troglodyte; especially : an unsocial seclusive person.

Mullfoto of the Day

Oh. My. God.

Catchy Caption of the Day

Actual Caption:

France's lower house of parliament adopted a groundbreaking bill Tuesday April 15, 2008 that would make it illegal for anyone including fashion magazines, advertisers and Web sites to publicly incite extreme thinness.

See the Mullfoto above.

(AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File)