Recent weeks have tested humanity with various natural and man-made disasters. The news is spattered with disaster narratives most of the time. But beneath the darkness, there have been reports of heroism and people reaching out to those in need, many a times risking their own lives in the process. We laud these heroes who have risen above the norm, in compassion towards their fellow beings. Pictured here are the beautiful minaret-shaped formations rising out of the Santa Monica mountains.