package: apt version: 0.5.4 Reading Package Lists... Error! E: Encountered a section with no Package: header E: Problem with MergeList /var/lib/dpkg/status E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.
I had messed up a dd command in vi, and there really was no Package: header. dpkg, in this situation, gives a line number. apt's error is very much less than helpful.
