diff --git a/src/args.jl b/src/args.jl
index 2e9daa31..812345cd 100644
--- a/src/args.jl
+++ b/src/args.jl
@@ -431,6 +431,7 @@ add_aliases(:projection, :proj)
 add_aliases(:title_location, :title_loc, :titleloc, :title_position, :title_pos, :titlepos, :titleposition, :title_align, :title_alignment)
 add_aliases(:series_annotations, :series_ann, :seriesann, :series_anns, :seriesanns, :series_annotation)
 add_aliases(:html_output_format, :format, :fmt, :html_format)
+add_aliases(:orientation, :direction, :dir)
 
 
 # add all pluralized forms to the _keyAliases dict
diff --git a/src/backends/pyplot.jl b/src/backends/pyplot.jl
index 80686061..0e98b1de 100644
--- a/src/backends/pyplot.jl
+++ b/src/backends/pyplot.jl
@@ -34,8 +34,8 @@ supported_args(::PyPlotBackend) = merge_with_base_supported([
 supported_types(::PyPlotBackend) = [
         :path, :steppre, :steppost, :shape,
         :scatter, :histogram2d, :hexbin, :histogram,
-        :bar, :sticks,
-        :hline, :vline, :heatmap, :pie, :image,
+        :bar,
+        :heatmap, :pie, :image,
         :contour, :contour3d, :path3d, :scatter3d, :surface, :wireframe
     ]
 supported_styles(::PyPlotBackend) = [:auto, :solid, :dash, :dot, :dashdot]
@@ -508,24 +508,24 @@ function py_add_series(plt::Plot{PyPlotBackend}, series::Series)
         push!(handles, handle)
     end
 
-    if st == :sticks
-        extrakw[isvertical(d) ? :width : :height] = 0.0
-        handle = ax[isvertical(d) ? :bar : :barh](x, y;
-            label = d[:label],
-            zorder = plt.n,
-            color = py_linecolor(d),
-            edgecolor = py_linecolor(d),
-            linewidth = d[:linewidth],
-            align = "center",
-            extrakw...
-        )[1]
-        push!(handles, handle)
-    end
+    # if st == :sticks
+    #     extrakw[isvertical(d) ? :width : :height] = 0.0
+    #     handle = ax[isvertical(d) ? :bar : :barh](x, y;
+    #         label = d[:label],
+    #         zorder = plt.n,
+    #         color = py_linecolor(d),
+    #         edgecolor = py_linecolor(d),
+    #         linewidth = d[:linewidth],
+    #         align = "center",
+    #         extrakw...
+    #     )[1]
+    #     push!(handles, handle)
+    # end
 
     # add markers?
     if d[:markershape] != :none && st in (:path, :scatter, :path3d,
                                           :scatter3d, :steppre, :steppost,
-                                          :bar, :sticks)
+                                          :bar)
         extrakw = KW()
         if d[:marker_z] == nothing
             extrakw[:c] = py_color_fix(py_markercolor(d), x)
@@ -539,7 +539,7 @@ function py_add_series(plt::Plot{PyPlotBackend}, series::Series)
             end
             needs_colorbar = true
         end
-        xyargs = if st in (:bar, :sticks) && !isvertical(d)
+        xyargs = if st == :bar && !isvertical(d)
             (y, x)
         else
             xyargs
@@ -624,17 +624,17 @@ function py_add_series(plt::Plot{PyPlotBackend}, series::Series)
         needs_colorbar = true
     end
 
-    if st in (:hline,:vline)
-        for yi in d[:y]
-            func = ax[st == :hline ? :axhline : :axvline]
-            handle = func(yi;
-                linewidth=d[:linewidth],
-                color=py_linecolor(d),
-                linestyle=py_linestyle(st, d[:linestyle])
-            )
-            push!(handles, handle)
-        end
-    end
+    # if st in (:hline,:vline)
+    #     for yi in d[:y]
+    #         func = ax[st == :hline ? :axhline : :axvline]
+    #         handle = func(yi;
+    #             linewidth=d[:linewidth],
+    #             color=py_linecolor(d),
+    #             linestyle=py_linestyle(st, d[:linestyle])
+    #         )
+    #         push!(handles, handle)
+    #     end
+    # end
 
     if st in (:contour, :contour3d)
         # z = z.surf'
diff --git a/src/recipes.jl b/src/recipes.jl
index ff7bc1a1..9ef03785 100644
--- a/src/recipes.jl
+++ b/src/recipes.jl
@@ -1039,6 +1039,9 @@ end
 
 # -------------------------------------------------
 
+# TODO: everything below here should be either changed to a
+#       series recipe or moved to PlotRecipes
+
 
 "Sparsity plot... heatmap of non-zero values of a matrix"
 function spy{T<:Real}(z::AMat{T}; kw...)
@@ -1100,56 +1103,56 @@ end
 
 curvecolor(value, min, max, grad) = getColorZ(grad, (value-min)/(max-min))
 
-"Plots a clockwise arc, from source to destiny, colored by weight"
-function arc!(source, destiny, weight, min, max, grad)
-    radius = (destiny - source) / 2
-    arc = Plots.partialcircle(0, π, 30, radius)
-    x, y = Plots.unzip(arc)
-    plot!(x .+ radius .+ source,  y, line = (curvecolor(weight, min, max, grad), 0.5, 2), legend=false)
-end
+# "Plots a clockwise arc, from source to destiny, colored by weight"
+# function arc!(source, destiny, weight, min, max, grad)
+#     radius = (destiny - source) / 2
+#     arc = Plots.partialcircle(0, π, 30, radius)
+#     x, y = Plots.unzip(arc)
+#     plot!(x .+ radius .+ source,  y, line = (curvecolor(weight, min, max, grad), 0.5, 2), legend=false)
+# end
 
-"""
-`arcdiagram(source, destiny, weight[, grad])`
+# """
+# `arcdiagram(source, destiny, weight[, grad])`
 
-Plots an arc diagram, form `source` to `destiny` (clockwise), using `weight` to determine the colors.
-"""
-function arcdiagram(source, destiny, weight; kargs...)
+# Plots an arc diagram, form `source` to `destiny` (clockwise), using `weight` to determine the colors.
+# """
+# function arcdiagram(source, destiny, weight; kargs...)
 
-    args = KW(kargs)
-    grad = pop!(args, :grad,   ColorGradient([colorant"darkred", colorant"darkblue"]))
+#     args = KW(kargs)
+#     grad = pop!(args, :grad,   ColorGradient([colorant"darkred", colorant"darkblue"]))
 
-    if length(source) == length(destiny) == length(weight)
+#     if length(source) == length(destiny) == length(weight)
 
-        vertices = unique(vcat(source, destiny))
-        sort!(vertices)
+#         vertices = unique(vcat(source, destiny))
+#         sort!(vertices)
 
-        xmin, xmax = extrema(vertices)
-        plot(xlim=(xmin - 0.5, xmax + 0.5), legend=false)
+#         xmin, xmax = extrema(vertices)
+#         plot(xlim=(xmin - 0.5, xmax + 0.5), legend=false)
 
-        wmin,wmax = extrema(weight)
+#         wmin,wmax = extrema(weight)
 
-        for (i, j, value) in zip(source,destiny,weight)
-            arc!(i, j, value, wmin, wmax, grad)
-        end
+#         for (i, j, value) in zip(source,destiny,weight)
+#             arc!(i, j, value, wmin, wmax, grad)
+#         end
 
-        scatter!(vertices, zeros(length(vertices)); legend=false, args...)
+#         scatter!(vertices, zeros(length(vertices)); legend=false, args...)
 
-    else
+#     else
 
-        throw(ArgumentError("source, destiny and weight should have the same length"))
+#         throw(ArgumentError("source, destiny and weight should have the same length"))
 
-    end
-end
+#     end
+# end
 
-"""
-`arcdiagram(mat[, grad])`
+# """
+# `arcdiagram(mat[, grad])`
 
-Plots an arc diagram from an adjacency matrix, form rows to columns (clockwise),
-using the values on the matrix as weights to determine the colors.
-Doesn't show edges with value zero if the input is sparse.
-For simmetric matrices, only the upper triangular values are used.
-"""
-arcdiagram{T}(mat::AbstractArray{T,2}; kargs...) = arcdiagram(mat2list(mat)...; kargs...)
+# Plots an arc diagram from an adjacency matrix, form rows to columns (clockwise),
+# using the values on the matrix as weights to determine the colors.
+# Doesn't show edges with value zero if the input is sparse.
+# For simmetric matrices, only the upper triangular values are used.
+# """
+# arcdiagram{T}(mat::AbstractArray{T,2}; kargs...) = arcdiagram(mat2list(mat)...; kargs...)
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Chord diagram