On taking office, however, the president adopted a my-way-or-the-highway style of governance.

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Today, as is clear from the many national flags that fly, somewhat incongruously, United Nations-style outside its otherwise nondescript headquarters off a suburban Milwaukee highway, the firm is truly global.

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Atop a bluff and offering nose-bleed views of the major highway for gray whales -- aka the Pacific Ocean -- is this Cape Cod-style seaside estate from 1901, with slatted ceilings, vintage photographs, and piles of firewood near the basement.

CNN: 10 dazzling hideaways by the sea