package db appears to be corupt: sudo dpkg --configure -a returns errors and doesn't fix

[Grizzly(Francis Smit)]

ok this all started when I tried to run update manager it did a partial upgrade which went wrong now I cannot run synaptic and dpkg returns errors when I use dpkg --configure -a like synaptic says to when it crashes

root@pern:/var/cache/apt/archives# sudo dpkg --configure -a
Setting up initramfs-tools (0.92bubuntu64) ...
update-initramfs: deferring update (trigger activated)

Setting up python-pyatspi (1.29.90-0ubuntu1) ...
Compiling /usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/pyatspi/__init__.py ...
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/pyatspi/__init__.py", line 50
    finally:
          ^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax

pycentral: pycentral pkginstall: error byte-compiling files (6)
pycentral pkginstall: error byte-compiling files (6)
dpkg: error processing python-pyatspi (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of gnome-orca:
 gnome-orca depends on python-pyatspi (>= 1.22.0) | python-pyatspi2; however:
  Package python-pyatspi is not configured yet.
  Package python-pyatspi2 is not installed.
dpkg: error processing gnome-orca (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Processing triggers for initramfs-tools ...
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-12-generic
cpio: ./lib/udev/firmware.sh: Cannot stat: No such file or directory
update-initramfs: failed for /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-12-generic
dpkg: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1

1). root@pern:~# lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu lucid (development branch)
Release: 10.04

2). root@pern:~# apt-cache policy gnome-orca python-pyatspi pycentral pkginstall python-pyatspi2
gnome-orca:
  Installed: 2.29.90-0ubuntu1
  Candidate: 2.29.90-0ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 2.29.90-0ubuntu1 0
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/main Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
python-pyatspi:
  Installed: 1.29.90-0ubuntu1
  Candidate: 1.29.90-0ubuntu2
  Version table:
     1.29.90-0ubuntu2 0
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/main Packages
 *** 1.29.90-0ubuntu1 0
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
python-pyatspi2:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: (none)
  Version table:
W: Unable to locate package pycentral
W: Unable to locate package pkginstall

3). expected to be able to update my system

4). got these errors

[Charlie Kravetz (cjkgeek)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. We are sorry that we do not always have the capacity to look at all reported bugs in a timely manner. Could you please add the log files from '/var/log/dist-upgrade/' to this bug report as separate attachments, after trying to update?

* /var/log/dpkg.log
* /var/log/dmesg

 Thanks in advance.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for at-spi (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]