Just had to break blog silence to say this:
“It’s” used as a possessive gives me the shakes just as much it does any other grammar lover. But doesn’t it make sense? If it’s “Michele’s blog” and not “Micheles blog,” why is it “its cherished political beliefs” and not “it’s cherished political beliefs”?
I suspect that ultimately this goes back to Germanic roots, as so many truly important things do.
Back to lecture-writing! It turns out that ancient Roman history contains a number of phrases suitable for shouting aloud at random intervals, to boost one’s courage and strike fear into the hearts of those around you: Sol Invictus! Zenobia! Lex de imperio Vespasiani! Go ahead, try one!