Apostrophe Issues--Today's "Gotcha" Grammar Glitch

While driving down to the Gulf Coast last week to do a workshop for State of Alabama employees, I noticed this sign along the highway:

PSYCHIC READING'S BY NANCY DIVINE

I did not stop and ring Miss Divine's doorbell to let her know that her sign was grammatically incorrect, but I will use this example to remind you that THE APOSTROPHE IS NOT USED TO MAKE A WORD PLURAL. It is used to show possession, as in "Nancy Divine's Psychic Readings." Her sign should read:

PSYCHIC READINGS BY NANCY DIVINE

While on this subject, I might also mention the cute little plaster pig on my own doorstep. Because of a family story, the person who gave it to me decorated it with a small silver name plate that reads:


COOK'S PIG FARM

Last time I checked, there were TWO of us living here who are named "Cook." Therefore, the "s" should come first, to indicate plural (two people), followed by the apostrophe to indicate that our zero-lot-line pig farm is owned by both of us. The name plate should read:

COOKS' PIG FARM

And before we leave this apostrophe subject, I will also mention an article from Associated Press that appeared in many newspapers this morning. It was about activists around the world rallying to combat global warming. The first sentence in the second paragraph reads as follows:

From costume parades in the Philippines to a cyclist's protest
in London, marches were held in more than 50 cities around
the world to coincide with the two-week U.N. Climate Change
Conference....

This sentence makes it sound as if one lonely cyclist in London went out on his own, all by himself, to protest global warming problems. If you read the entire article, however, you find that many cyclists participated in the protest rally. Therefore, the sentence above should read as follows:

From costume parades in the Philippines to a CYCLISTS'
protest in London, marches were held in more than 50 cities
around the world....

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE APOSTROPHE GOES AFTER THE "S" IF THE "S" IS USED TO MAKE THE WORD PLURAL.

THE APOSTROPHE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MAKING THE WORD PLURAL. IT SHOWS ABOVE THAT THE PROTEST IN LONDON BELONGED TO THE CYCLISTS.