Pesky homophones - 'motherload' and 'rites'

Homophone alert! This one has turned up in several places this week regarding the bin Laden story, including the Scotsman and, embarrassingly, in this headline on PC world:

The term is "mother lode." Motherload would appear to be a heavy - well, you can figure it out.

Also seen on several sites (including, unfortunately, on The Lantern of my graduate alma mater, Ohio State): burial rights, such as this from Austrialian Broadcasting.

 
The correct term is burial rites.