RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Long before Brazil’s National Museum went up in flames, the people who ran it were pleading for help to renovate the dilapidated 200-year-old building that held much of the nation’s historical and scientific heritage.They appealed for $4.2 million in private donations three years ago – but received just $240,000, according to the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, which oversees the museum. They’d turned to businesses for aid because government funds were declining as officials slashed budgets to cope with a recession.The lack of investment may have doomed the museum, which was gutted on Sept.

Fonte: Brazil museum fire sparks soul searching about spending – SFGate