The Ghost of Phillip Barton Key

I have been traveling through Washington DC for the last few days.  DC is filled with more than a few ghost stories and the history here is as much a part of the landscape as it can be.   Last night, I went  on Washington Ghost Tours evening ghost walk with a young lady named Rachel.   I forgot the cable that connects my camera to my computer so I can't upload all of my photographs and do my  ghost walk review tonight, but I can tell one story Ms. Rachel told during the walk.  
This sad story comes from Lafayette Square.   This portion of Washington DC is drenched in blood and the ghost stories here are as thick as the history.  One of the most interesting ghost stories from around the square is the story of Daniel Sickles and his beautiful bride, Theresa Sickles.  Daniel Sickles was an influential man in old Washington.   He was a New York Senator with unlimited ambition.  He loved Washington society and struggled to be the top dog in every arena of society and politics.  He even wanted to marry the most lovely bride.  He married his young wife when she was only fifteen years old and her beauty and charm made Sickles the envy of Washington.

Unfortunately, Theresa was a trophy bride that was quickly forgotten.  Sickles was chronically unfaithful to his beautiful wife.  He had numerous mistresses and affairs and even took one of his mistresses to meet Queen Victoria on a trip to London.  Theresa bore her husband's unending infidelities with as much grace as she could.  She might have born it indefinitely if it hadn't have been for the handsome son of  Francis Scott Key, Phillip Barton Key.  Phillip fell in love with Theresa and wooed her with great intensity.   Theresa fell in love with Key and the two had a passionate affair. 

The affair was doomed from the beginning.  The lovers enjoyed each other's warmth and company for a mere hiccup in time.  Theresa was discovered by her cruel husband and she confessed everything to him.  Daniel was so angry when he discovered his wife's indiscretion, he forced her to write every detail of her affair down.  He took the confession and used it to ruin his wife's good name.   Yet, Daniel was still irate and he planned to further punish the two lovers.  He caught up with Phillip in front of Washington Gentleman's Club on Lafayette Square and shot Phillip dead.  The blood pooled on the ground and Phillip's ghost hasn't left since.    Some say that Phillip still wanders the park and area he was shot because he is searching for his lost love.  Other's say he wanders searching for the justice he never had in life.  Sickles was never brought to justice in life.  He was tried for his crime and he used the first temporary insanity plea in American history.  He was found innocent, driven mad by his wife's betrayal,. 

Phillip Barton Key's ghost has been so active that he has become part of history.  The Gentleman's Club where he was shot was torn down and a home was built in its place.  The house was haunted and many fled the haunted building.  However, Lincoln's secretary of state, Seward, was too busy to worry about ghost stories.    Seward would become grateful for Phillip's ghost, however, after the night Lincoln was assassinated.   Many people plotted the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and some of the other conspirators were sent out to kill other key government officials.  Seward was meant to be assassinated by a young man by the name of Powell.   When Powell snuck in to murder Seward, however,  a loud, mysterious ban woke everyone and brought them to the hall.  Powell fled before he could harm Seward and many believe it was Phillip's ghost that drove him away with the mysterious bang.  Phillip's ghost has been seen throughout the square since that time.  It has also been seen in the courthouse where the gentlemen's club and Seward's home used to be.  We sat on the steps where Keywas shot as  we listened to Rachel tell her tale.  The photograph above is of the very place where Sickles was shot.

Top 10 Reasons Why There Won't Be a Filipino US President

[Taken from Internet:]

[Snopes.com] I don't know if you've heard or watched David Letterman's Show when he used Filipino- American for his top ten reasons, but this certainly shows we are an emerging group in this diverse society to be featured in Dave's famous TV show.. Happy reading to all!!! [Facebook.com] Filipinos are certainly getting into mainstream America and into the world. With an estimated 4 million Filipino-American population (as of 2007), Filipinos are an emerging group in a diverse society in the United States . Filipino talents like Manny Pacquiao, Charice Pempengco, Arnel Pineda, Lea Salonga, and Monique Lhuiller are doing a great job pitching in! David Letterman, apparently used Filipino-Americans in one of his skits. Here’s the recap: Top 10 Reasons Why There Couldn’t Be a Filipino-American US President By David Letterman 10. The White House is not big enough for in-laws and extended relatives. 9. There are not enough parking spaces at the White House for 2 Honda Civics, 2 Toyota Land Cruisers, 3 Toyota Corollas, a Mercedes Benz, a BMW , and an MPV (My Pinoy Van). 8. Dignitaries generally are intimidated by eating with their fingers at State dinners. 7. There are too many dining rooms in the White House – where will they put the picture of the Last Supper? 6. The White House walls are not big enough to hold a pair of giant wooden spoon and fork. 5. Secret Service staff won’t respond to “psst… psst” or “hoy.hoyhoy!” 4. Secret Service staff will not be comfortable driving the presidential car with a Holy Rosary hanging on the rear view mirror, or the statue of the Santo Nino on the dashboard. 3. No budget allocation to purchase a Karaoke music-machine for every room in the White House. 2. State dinners do not allow “Take Home”. AND THE NUMBER 1 REASON WHY THERE COULDN’T BE A FILIPINO-AMERICAN U.S. PRESIDENT IS… 1. Air Force One does not allow overweight Balikbayan boxes!

Opinion

David Lettermen is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC. Letterman recently surpassed friend and mentor Johnny Carson for having the longest late-night hosting career in the United States of America.

One of his episodes, according to some rumors, he featured the Top 10 Reasons Why There Won't Be a Filipino U.S. President. This circulated among Fil-Ams and Filipinos in America. But some speculated that this one is not real. They said, it was created by a Filipino citizen residing in America.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Letterman
http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=22723
http://www.facebook.com/notes/bob-ong/why-there-couldnt-be-top-10-reasons-why-there-couldnt-be-a-filipino-american-us-/266009256764487?ref=nf
[Picture from:]http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_show/bio/david_letterman/bio.php

Code of Kalantiaw

This is actually not an urban legend. This is a hoax, just like The Coming of Borneans to Panay I had posted here.

Info

The Code of Kalantiaw was a legendary legal code in the epic story Maragtas. It is said to have been written in 1433 by Datu Kalantiaw, a chief on the island of Negros in the Philippines. It was actually written in 1913 by Jose E. Marco as a part of his historical fiction Las antiguas leyendas de la Isla de Negros (Spanish, "The Ancient Legends of the Island of Negros"), which he attributed to a priest named Jose Maria Pavon.

In 1917, the historian Josué Soncuya wrote about the Code of Kalantiaw in his book Historia Prehispana de Filipinas ("Prehispanic History of the Philippines") where he moved the location of the Code's origin from Negros to the Panay province of Aklan because he suspected that it may be related to the Ati-atihan festival. Other authors throughout the 20th century gave credence to the story and the code.

In 1965, then University of Santo Tomas doctoral candidate William Henry Scott began an examination of prehispanic sources for the study of Philippine history. Scott eventually demonstrated that the code was a forgery committed by Marco. When Scott presented these conclusions in his doctoral dissertation, defended on 16 June 1968 before a panel of eminent Filipino historians which included Teodoro Agoncillo, Horacio de la Costa, Marcelino Foronda, Meceredes Grau Santamaria, Nicolas Zafra and Gregorio Zaide, not a single question was raised about the chapter which he had called The Contributions of Jose E. Marco to Philippine historiography. Scott later published his findings debunking the code in his book Prehispanic Source Materials for the Study of Philippine History. Filipino historians later removed the code from future literature regarding Philippine history. When Antonio W. Molina published a Spanish version of his The Philippines Through the Centuries as historia de Filipinas (Madrid, 1984), he replaced the Code with one sentence: "La tésis doctoral del historador Scott desbarate la existencia misma de dicho Código" (The doctoral dissertation of the historian Scott demolishes the very existence of the Code).

Philippine historian Teodoro Agoncillo describes the Code as "a disputed document". Some history texts continue to present it as historical fact. Struggle for Freedom (subtitled A textbook on Philippine History) says, "Reproduced herein is the entire Code of Kalantiaw for your critical examination and for you to decide on its veracity and accuracy."

The story is still believed by people in the central provinces. Some maintain the opinion that this is due to mis-education. But taking into consideration that after the Spanish colonization, local literary achievements in culture and government in the former territories of the Confederation of Madya-as were eclipsed by the emphasis of the Spanish colonial regime on Catholic Christian faith, and the fact that Ilonggo litearary heritage was primarily orally passed from one generation to another, as in the case of the oldest and longest epic in Hiligaynon Hinilawod that survive in the Sulod society in the hinterlands of Panay, the local beliefs inherited by the Ilonggos from their ancestors cannot be just be hastily dismissed as fabricated. In fact, Maragtas and the Code of Kalantiaw are something that serious historians have to study more carefully. What Walter Scott failed to consider in his jusgement is the nature of the transmission of Ilonggo local literature. He just limited himself with evaluating a relatively recent attempt to into writing what Ilonggos have bequeathed to their descendants through generations by means of oral tradition.

Laws of the Code of Kalantiaw:

[Taken from Internet:]

Article I You shall not kill, neither shall you steal, neither shall you do harm to the aged, lest you incur the danger of death. All those who infringe this order shall be condemned to death by being drowned in the river, or in boiling water. Article II You shall obey. Let all your debts with the headman be met punctually. He who does not obey shall receive for the first time one hundred lashes. If the debt is large, he shall be condemned to thrust his hand in boiling water thrice. For the second time, he shall be beaten to death. Article III Obey you: let no one have women that are very young nor more than he can support; nor be given to excessive lust. He who does not comply with, obey, and observe this order shall be condemned to swim for three hours for the first time and for the second time, to be beaten to death with sharp thorns. Article IV Observe and obey; let no one disturb the quiet of the graves. When passing by the caves and trees where they are, give respect to them. He who does not observe this shall be killed by ants, or beaten to death with thorns. Article V You shall obey; he who exchanges for food, let it be always done in accordance with his word. He who does not comply, shall be beaten for one hour, he who repeats the offense shall be exposed for one day among ants. Article VI You shall be obliged to revere sights that are held in respect, such as those of trees of recognized worth and other sights. He who fails to comply shall pay with one month's work in gold or in honey. Article VII These shall be put to death; he who kills trees of venerable appearance; who shoot arrows at night at old men and women; he who enters the houses of the headmen without permission; he who kills a shark or a streaked cayman. Article VIII Slavery for a doam (a certain period of time) shall be suffered by those who steal away the women of the headmen; by him who keep ill-tempered dogs that bite the headmen; by him who burns the fields of another. Article IX All these shall be beaten for two days: who sing while traveling by night; kill the Manaul; tear the documents belonging to the headmen; are malicious liars; or who mock the dead. Article X It is decreed an obligation; that every mother teach secretly to her daughters matters pertaining to lust and prepare them for womanhood; let not men be cruel nor punish their women when they catch them in the act of adultery. Whoever shall disobey shall be killed by being cut to pieces and thrown to the caymans. Article XI These shall be burned: who by their strength or cunning have mocked at and escaped punishment or who have killed young boys; or try to steal away the women of the elders. Article XII These shall be drowned: all who interfere with their superiors, or their owners or masters; all those who abuse themselves through their lust; those who destroy their anitos (religious icons) by breaking them or throwing them down. Article XIII All these shall be exposed to ants for half a day: who kill black cats during a new moon; or steal anything from the chiefs or agorangs, however small the object may be. Article XIV These shall be made slave for life: who have beautiful daughters and deny them to the sons of chiefs, and with bad faith hide them away. Article XV Concerning beliefs and traditions; these shall be beaten: who eat the diseased flesh of beasts which they hold in respect, or the herb which they consider good, who wound or kill the young of the Manaul, or the white monkey. Article XVI The fingers shall be cut-off: of all those who break anitos of wood and clay in their alangans and temples; of those who destroy the daggers of the catalonans(priest/priestess), or break the drinking jars of the latter. Article XVII These shall be killed: who profane sites where anitos are kept, and sites where are buried the sacred things of their diwatas and headmen. He who performs his necessities in those places shall be burned. Article XVIII Those who do not cause these rules to be obeyed: if they are headmen, they shall be put to death by being stoned and crushed; and if they are agorangs they shall be placed in rivers to be eaten by sharks and caymans.

Kalantiaw The Hoax

The story of Datu Kalantiaw is often mistaken to be part of the epic of ten intrepid chiefs who founded Visayan civilization as much as 800 years ago, as told in an ancient and mysterious document called the Maragtas. This document, however, was an ordinary book written in 1907 by Pedro Monteclaro in which he compiled the local legends of the Visayas from mainly oral traditions and a few written documents that were fairly modern in their origins. Monteclaro never mentioned a chief by the name of Kalantiaw in his Maragtas. (See: The Maragtas Legend.)

Some of the Maragtas legends are a part of Visayan folklore and they are a source of fierce pride for many Visayans today. The stories of the ten datus or chiefs might have been told for generations and they are perfectly believable, as far as legends go, if we put aside the modern additions such as obviously phoney "original" manuscripts and the use of precise but utterly uncorroborated dates from the pre-colonial era.

After all, it is not hard to believe that exiles could have sailed from Borneo to settle in Panay. Why not? Even though there are no ancient documents to show that Chief Sumakwel and his followers actually existed, there is much archaeological and foreign documentary evidence of regular trade and travel at that time between the Philippines and its neighbours.

But while Monteclaro's misguided nationalism, combined with the blatant dishonesty of other writers who embellished his work, blurred the line between legends and hard historical facts, the story of Kalantiaw is more alarming because he was never a part of the Philippines' history or even its oral traditions. Kalantiaw was an utter hoax from the beginning.

We should not believe on it

So, why should we not believe this story that has been taught as history for so many years in Filipino schools?

There are three good reasons:

1. The first reason is the lack of historical evidence. There are simply no written or pictorial documents from that time in Philippine history. There are no documents from other countries that mention the great Kalantiaw either. There is also no evidence that Philippine culture ever spawned such a barbaric set of laws. The early Spanish accounts tell us that Filipino custom at that time allowed even the most serious lawbreakers to pay a fine or to be placed into servitude for a time in cases of debt. As the missionary Francisco Colín wrote in 1663:
In the punishment of crimes of violence the social rank of the slayer and slain made a great deal of difference. If the slain was a chief, all his kinsfolk took the warpath against the slayer and his kinfolk, and this state of war continued until arbiters were able to determine the amount of gold which had to be paid for the killing… The death penalty was not imposed by public authority save in cases where both the slayer and slain were commoners, and the slayer could not pay the blood price. K1
Arbitration is still the custom of those Philippine cultures that were never conquered by the Spaniards.

2. The second reason is the lack of evidence for Kalantiaw even as a legend of oral history. Many ardent admirers of the Datu, who disdain all historical evidence to the contrary, claim that he has long been a part of Visayan culture and heritage. This is simply not true. In almost 400 years of documented Philippine history – from Magellan's arrival in 1521 until the second decade of the 20th century – no such legend was ever recorded. Kalantiaw even escaped the attention of Pedro Monteclaro when he published the Maragtas legends in 1907. This is very suspicious considering that there are more stories today about Kalantiaw than there are about any of the ten datus of the Maragtas.

Did the Spaniards suppress the legend of Kalantiaw?

This accusation is usually the first thing that history buffs reach for when they need to explain a gap in Philippine history. If the Spaniards were aware of such a legend they had no reason to suppress it because those Spaniards who were sympathetic to the Filipinos could have presented the mere existence of the Code as proof that their ancestors were civilized – just as many Filipinos do today – while detractors could have pointed to the maniacal Datu himself as proof of their savagery – even though his methods of torture were no more sadistic than those of the Spanish Inquisition.
It is certain that there were no legends of Kalantiaw before the 20th century. The Aklanon historian Digno Alba was a young man at the start of that century. He looked for Kalantiaw in local folklore in the 1950s but did not find him.

On May 5, 1967 the historian William H. Scott wrote to Alba and asked him:

When you were a child, Don Digno, did not the old folks of Aklan have stories about Kalantiaw even before the discovery of the Pavón documents in 1913? Were there no popular legends or folklore that the elders told their grandchildren?

To which Alba replied in a letter from Kalibo, Aklan dated May 15, 1967:
I had tried to get stories or legends from the present generations of Aklanons living in Batan… but not one old man can tell me now.

3. The third and most important reason to reject the Kalantiaw myth is its source. If Kalantiaw was not a historical figure or a legendary character, where did he come from? Many writers on this subject didn't bother to mention where they obtained their information. Some, like Digno Alba, simply created "facts" from thin air. Scott eventually traced the ultimate origin of Kalantiaw back to a single person, José E. Marco of Pontevedra, Negros Occidental, who definitely did not live in the 1400s. In 1913, Marco claimed to have discovered the Pavón documents that were mentioned in Scott's letter to Digno Alba. These documents, which contain the Code of Kalantiaw, were in fact Marco's own creation. Kalantiaw eventually became the most successful of many hoaxes in Marco's career of almost 50 years as a forger and fraud. (For more about the life of Jose Marco see Jose Marco: Con man of the century)

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_Kalantiaw
http://www.mts.net/~pmorrow/kalant_e.htm

The Ghosts of Macknac Bridge

The Mackinac Bridge is always impressive.  Driving across the bridge makes it seem even more impressive.  Its length and height alone make it a daunting site.  Mackinac Bridge is five miles long and from cable to anchorages, it is the longest suspension bridge in the world.  The bridge connects the two tourist towns of Mackinaw City and St. Ignace and is crowded with travel, trailers, campers and cars.  It is filled with travelers on the road to their vacations or returning from them. The bridge was designed by Dr. David B. Steinman and opened to traffic on November 1, 1957,  The construction of this bridge was hazardous and fraught with danger as the Straights of Mackinac are known to be turbulent and treacherous.  However, the bridge was completed on time and now seres as the primary link between the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan.

Mackinac Bridge is amazing.  Its graceful form stretches over the blue water with an eerie grace and it isn't surprising that the bridge has gathered a few ghost stories.  Driving over the bridge is a bit unsettling.  It is creepy know that there are miles between you and the nearest land and seeing nothing but blue water beneath you.   The ghost stories associated with this lovely bridge aren't that impressive.   They are certainly less impressive than the bridge itself.   Local lore states that a family once had a traffic accident on the bridge and a baby died in the collision.  Since that time, cries of babies have been heard on the bridge at night.   There are also many stories linking the bridge to multiple suicides.  Local legend says that the ghosts of those that ended their lives by leaping from the bridge still roam the bridge looking for the solace they could never find in life. 

Flash Fiction

Last night we had a mini-workshop on flash fiction at Nottingham Writers' Club.

This was run by Sally Quilford who is a columnist for Writers' Forum and writes pocket novel romance. Sally gave away plenty of handouts to save us having to make notes. She also kept us busy with little exercises to test our skills. We learned about the requirements for flash fiction, a little bit of history and how to edit. Everyone who attended went home having spent a very profitable evening.

Sally runs several different workshops through the year, details of which can be found on her site.

The Coming of the Borneans to Panay

This story of how the Philippines was inhabited originated from the order of President Ferdinand Marcos - adding it on the Philippine History Books. But evidence of the existence of the ten datus had no records in Borneo, where they came from, neither in other neighboring Southeast Asian countries.

The Story

[Taken from a Book:]

...They came as the result of dissastisfaction with the rule of Datu Makatunaw, the chief of all datus in Borneo, a group of ten datus with their families and slaves fled Borneo to seek a new home. They were Datu Puti and wife Pinangpangan, Datu Bangkaya and wife Katurong, Datu Paiburong and wife Pabulanan, Datu Sumakwel and wife Kapinangan, Datu Paduhinog Ribongasapaw, Datu Domangsol and wife Kabiling, and Datus Lubay, Dumangsil, Dumalogdog, and Balensuela. These datus, together with everything they could take along, left Borneo on small sailing boats called Biniday (or, in various sources, Balangay, from which the word Barangay came from.). They sailed northward from Borneo along Palawan (Paragwa), which was at that time politically a part of Borneo. In due time they sighted Panay. Early records tell us that the first Borneans landed on the coast of Panay in 1394. They sailed along the Sirwagan River in the southern part of the town of San Joaquin, Iloilo, and in the Barrio Sinugbuhan. They sailed farther to Andona Lake and up the Sirwagan River. Upon the arrival of the datus, the local inhabitants of the islands, the Aeta, grew terrified but the diplomatic Datu Puti said to Marikudo, the chief of the native Negritos, that they had peaceful intentions. Later both parties entered into a trade alliance. Under the headship of Datu Puti, they asked Marikudo, if he was willing to sell Sinugbuhan (an island in Panay). The sale was concluded after Marikudo's consultation with his followers. The Datu paid them a golden salakot. The Borneans settled in Sinugbuhan and later in the coastal town of Malandug. When Datu Puti returned to Borneo, Datu Sumakwel took his place, because he was the oldest datu, besides being a man of good character. At once Sumakwel and the rest set improve three districts. Hamtik (Antique) under Datu Sumakwel, Aklan (Capiz) under Datu Bangkaya, and Irong-Irong (Iloilo) under Datu Paiburong.

The history of some civilization that we knew was based on written records of ancient historians. But this, which was considered as a legend, was based from spoken historical record, not from a written one. The story might be true, but as it was passed verbally to their children, the story might had changed. Being unreliable, this was eliminated in History textbooks.

Sources:
Oriental History for Philippine High Schools by: Diosdado G. Capino, M.A. 1963. Fifth Edition. Manlapaz Publishing Co., Inc.
http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Legend_of_the_Ten_Bornean_Datus

"My Way" Curse

Story

"My Way" is a song popularized by Frank Sinatra. Its lyrics were written by Paul Anka and set to music based on the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed in 1967 by Claude François and Jacques Revaux, with lyrics by Claude François and Gilles Thibault. Comme d'habitude had in turn originally been written in English, titled "For Me". Anka's English lyrics are unrelated to the original French song or the earlier English version. "My Way" is often quoted as the most covered song in history.

The song was released on 1969, recorded December 30, 1968.

In the Philippines, it is popularly sang by adult Filipinos (especially men) in parties they called Inuman (Drinking Spree), which makes the party more enjoying and interesting. They often use karaoke in those inuman. This song is considered the most dangerous of all in the Philippines. When the party is held (more often at Bars and/or Restaurants), the singer, while singing or after he finishes, will suddenly be killed. So that's the very big question for Filipinos.

The Lyrics

[Taken from Internet:]

My Way By: Frank Sinatra Written by: Jacques Revaux, Claude Francois, Gilles Thibaut, Paul Anka And now, the end is here And so I face the final curtain My friend, I'll say it clear I'll state my case, of which I'm certain I've lived a life that's full I traveled each and ev'ry highway And more, much more than this, I did it my way Regrets, I've had a few But then again, too few to mention I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption I planned each charted course, each careful step along the by way And more, much more than this, I did it my way Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew When I bit off more than I could chew But through it all, when there was doubt I ate it up and spit it out I faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way I've loved, I've laughed and cried I've had my fill, my share of losing And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing To think I did all that And may I say, not in a shy way, "Oh, no, oh, no, not me, I did it my way" For what is a man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has naught To say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels The record shows I took the blows and did it my way!

Info

The lyrics seemed simple and not paranormal. However, the first stanza makes me feel horrified. Well, it says:

And now, the end is here

It's telling you that the end (of the one singing the song) is finally here (perhaps, to kill you). Could it be the reason why it was considered a curse? Or just misunderstanding it. Well, for me the killing is just coincidence.

Actually the song killed at least six people. It'll be considered paranormal if those people were killed by an accident or just died without any reason. However, they are all killed by gunshot, struggling from a fight against someone.

[Taken from Internet:]

In the past decade there have been over half a dozen cases where the song was the soundtrack to an unfortunate event. The problem is so pronounced that many karaoke bars have now removed the song from their play list and it is impossible to pick it on any given night. There are people who have extended this fee are into their own homes and they refuse to sing the song in private as well. Some people would claim that there is nothing to this curse and it happens to be coincidence. Mathematically speaking, that is entirely possible because karaoke is a lot more popular in the Philippines. With more people singing karaoke songs this will increase the chances that something bad is going to happen. But you still can’t deny the eeriness that this one song has led to so many problems. There are a variety of theories as to why this particular song invokes such rage among karaoke patrons. Some people say that since it is so popular people think they know the song, and that any version that deviates from their expectations is subject to intense criticism and throwing out any rules of karaoke etiquette. Other people have studied the lyrics of this particular tune and offer the suggestion that the tone and spirit of the song invokes a sense of arrogance. This leads people to act out of character when they are pumped up by the lyrics that invoke a sense of defiance. Sometimes men compete to have the best performance and their violent natures are bolstered by the lyrics as well. Other people go back to the mathematical explanation and say that it is a song that is sung the more than most, so statistically speaking there are more chances for bad things to happen. It’s interesting to see how far this story has developed and now that it is attached to such a powerful urban legend, it has enough steam to scare people out right. Some people have wondered if something like this can happen in North America. We usually have fun stories associated with karaoke here. There have already been violent karaoke related incidents tide to other performances, but there is no similar connection to My Way specifically. We hear at karaokemachineguide.com love karaoke too much to associate it with any kind of curse. To us it’s all about fun and an appreciation of music, but we suppose human nature can warp even the best of activities.

A big chance that it's only the Filipinos who think this song has a curse. Everything was just caused by coincidences or accidents.

For more story of this, visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/world/asia/07karaoke.html?_r=4

Source:

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/f/frank+sinatra/my+way_20056378.html
http://karaokemachineguide.com/the-karaoke-song-that-kills/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Way_(song)