Honors

The Pac-12Conference announced its all-conference, all-freshman and all-defensive teams Tuesday and no USC players were among the honorees . USC finished 1-17 in conference play and enters this week's Pac-12 tournament with a 6-25 record. "If you don't win, you don't get anything," USC Coach Kevin O'Neill said. "That's just the way it is. " Awards and all-conference teams are chosen through a vote of league coaches, who cannot vote for their own players. O'Neill said he thought sophomore guard Maurice Jones and Byron Wesley were worthy of recognition.

James Galanos, Fred Hayman and Peggy Moffitt stepped out to see the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style honor fashion legend Diana Vreeland on Monday with a bronze plaque on the storied boulevard. Vreeland is the 19th recipient to be inducted into the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style and the first fashion editor to be recognized with this honor. The Rodeo Drive Walk of Style award is given to those who have made significant contributions to the fashion and entertainment worlds. Past recipients include Giorgio Armani, Tom Ford, Manolo Blahnik and Salvatore Ferragamo.

For the second consecutive year, The Times has been recognized as one of the nation's top 10 Sports sections for daily and Sunday editions among papers with circulations of 175,000 and above in the annual judging by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In addition, Times sportswriters were recognized with top-10 awards in the explanatory journalism, beat reporting and breaking news categories. David Wharton and Baxter Holmes were recognized among the 10 best of 2011 in the explanatory category for their story detailing the finances of athletic programs in the Pac-12 Conference.

Lawmakers honored the Dalai Lama with a human rights award Tuesday as President Obama faced criticism for delaying a meeting with the exiled Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader. The Dalai Lama and the president will not meet until after Obama visits Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing in November. China reviles the Dalai Lama as a separatist and pressures foreign governments not to meet with him. The administration, which needs Chinese support for crucial foreign policy, economic and environmental goals, wants to establish friendly ties between Hu and Obama.

As dozens of former POWs snapped to attention, the Navy on Saturday dedicated a warship to the late Vice Adm. James Stockdale, who was credited by many fellow captives in Vietnam with giving them the courage to survive. Stockdale, a soft-spoken scholar best known for his short-lived foray into presidential politics, died at 81 in 2005. He was H. Ross Perot's running mate in 1992 -- but Perot, who spoke at the commissioning, did not mention the campaign.

Jules Engel, founding director of CalArts' experimental animation program, has been chosen as the recipient of the Norman McLaren Heritage Award to be given at the Ottowa Animation Festival, which runs Wednesday through Oct. 4. Named for the late pioneering Canadian animator, the award has been given by the Association Internationale du Film Animation-Canada to Engel for his achievements as a mentor at CalArts.

Senior forward Kate Murray, who led Loyola Marymount to its first West Coast Conference regular-season title, was chosen WCC women's player of the year Monday by a vote of conference coaches. After sitting out last season because of a knee injury, the 6-foot Murray came back to help the Lions (22-5) set the school record for victories and earn the No. 1 seeding in the WCC tournament starting Thursday at Santa Clara. She averages 16.1 points and 6.2 rebounds.

President Obama has offered Britain's Queen Elizabeth II the "heartfelt congratulations of the American people" on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee (watch video below). In a video message, Obama said the queen was a "living witness" to the power of the special relationship between the U.S. and U.K., and the "chief source of its resilience. " "As a steadfast ally, loyal friend and tireless leader, Your Majesty has set an example of resolve that will be long celebrated," Obama said.