MY BROTHER’S KEEPER

It’s part of the social contract that we all take care of one another. Laura Hunt, 6, cradles cousin Katie Garnett, 6 months, while waiting in line at a Torrance post office. At Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, nurse attendant Pat Zweizig hugs Gloria Flores, 5. And in South-Central Los Angeles, Lewis Willis, right, gives friend Kevin Johnson a trim.

SIGN LANGUAGE

Hands can convey a number of meanings, depending on the context. Gaily decorated handprints fill the window of a Canoga Park school. Occupants of a car rigged to trap car thieves raise their hands in surrender during a Long Beach police sting. And a goalie for the UC Irvine women’s soccer team gets her wrist taped before a game.