By Vahakn Keshishian

When hostilities broke out in Syria, people started to stock up on foodstuffs.

The smarter ones had begun to hoard various basic necessities even before that. The refrigerators were filled to the gills but most of the food had to be dumped when the power went out for hours and days at a time.

Growing mounds of garbage in Aleppo became a problem. But in the Armenian neighborhoods like Nor Kyugh, Armenian young men donned gloves and transported the trash farther afield. Neighborhoods remained relatively clean.

While most shops have remained closed in Aleppo, store owners in Nor Kyugh open the gates for a few hours each evening. Friends gather for a few games of backgammon and cards.

They discuss recent events and sometimes hot debates break out. Many report on the news of the day as if they had witnessed first hand went had happened. It’s an informal rumor mill of sorts.

Take for example the rumor that had been spreading about "Leblebiji Seto", the first pistachio seller in Nor Kyugh. Word was that his crazy son Davit had been killed.

Those telling the story say they saw Davit approach the line of fire. Soldiers ordered him to stop but Davit pushed them aside and walked on. A bullet brought him down.

Residents of Nor Kyugh were saddened by the news of crazy Davit’ds death. Two days later, Davit once again appeared on the sreet as if by a miracle.

Davit is now busy handing out tickets to cars violating the traffic rules. He’s harmless and the police hyave turned a blind eye to the matter.

Another such piece of "news" concerned the bomb that fell and exploded in a street behind the National Diocese.

Many so-called individuals "in the know", claimed that employees at the Diocese had been injured in the tremendous blast. Turns out that no one was injured and little material damage was caused...just a few broken windows.

But the reality is that the situation in Nor Kyugh has been getting worse in the past few days.

You Tube videos shot in Ayvazyan Alley show opposition fighters shooting in the air to celebrate their victory. Fierce fights have been occurring on the other side of Nor Kyugh near Bosdan Pasha.

They say that Armenians were fighting in the street adjacent to the St. Vartanants Monastery.

The Armenian Al-Aroubeh sports complex was hit with artillery fire after it became a center for the opposition forces.

The Sulimaniyeh neighborhood has also been shelled and bombed.