let's get more of this from john hendren live in chicago. what more details do we have about edmonton announcements? >> this is a big reversal from a major food company. mcdonald's said it will add $1 above the federally mandated wage for each workers. some states have higher minimum wages than the federal wage. they'll get a dollar over that much the federal minimum wage is $7.25. workers get more than that. by the end of 2016 the companies said workers will receive more than $10 an hour. the company is adding vacation. you can accrue 20 hours of vacation in a year. so this is a major change for a company that argued that the minimum wage was appropriate. it suggests however, that there could be a major change throughout the u.s. because mcdonald's is a major employer following wal-mart and target in making the changes. putting pressure on other countries. that minimum wage has not been raised in some time in congress. they have to hold a vote to raise it each time. this really suggests that that federally mandated minimum wage may be a moo

as john hendren reports from chicago, they are trying to make the famous game faster. >> modern life seems to have sped up everything. including the american national pastime. >> i coached baseball for 14 years. when you wait 10 minutes back to back after swing at bat. >> with baseball games lasting more than three hours fewer fans are prepared to sit it out. baseball is on the clock. >> has set off a national debate. you have been watching baseball your entire life. you tell me it has got so far out of hand they need to change. >> professional baseball is big business. 70 million fans follow the season every year. >> that business has slowed down in the stands. >> every generation there are dooms die stories about how the public is losing interest in baseball. they have the right idea of trying to pick things up. >> a tradition as much about tailgate barbecues and sunshine as it is about a 9-inning face-off traditionalists like their tradition. i don't -- don't change it. the younger generation wants things faster? >> a little less conversation. a little more. >> the new requires re

john hendren has more. >> reporter: the city of big shoulders is lifting for tunes, not just the gucchioehner shops, in the city's gold coast et. property values tourism and retail sales are rising nearly city citywide. nearly. but this is the tale of twochicks. one to the north, processing perous and mostly white. the other, for miles along the south and west sides, neighborhoods where police activity is a daily occurrence. here it is blighted black and intensely poor. >> when we go north, coming back here is depressing. all we have is liquor stores. we have to hold the governors, legislators accountable for why we live like we are in a third-world country. >> one possible reason: this neighborhood may be home to the nation's first black president but chicago has had just one african-american mayor in its 178 year history. >> everybody wants the black vote but people are not willing to protect the black community's interest. right now, we are the last on the totem pole when it comes down to construction contracts in the city of chicago. we have 88% unemployment amongst african-american

as john hendren reports, the divide seems to be drawn along racial lines. >> reporter: it's not just the gucci and barney shops of the magnificent miles, retail sales are rising nearly city wide nearly. but this is the tail of two chicagos one to the north, prosperous and mostly white, and the other one where police activity is a daily occurrence. it's blighted black, and intensely poor. >> all we have is liquor stores. we have to told everybody who we elected to represent us accountable for why we live like we're in a third world country. >> the city tends to fund projects downtown or in wealthier neighborhoods. one possible reason this neighborhood may be home to the nation's first black president, but chicago has had just one african american mayor in its history. >> everyone wants the black vote but people are not willing to protect the black community's interest. we are last on the toetem pole. and we're struggling right now. >> reporter: schools are funded by local income taxes. those in wealthy neighborhoods perform better. in illinois more black men are in prison than in coll

john hendren, al jazeera, chicago. >> remember you can get the latest on everything we are covering aljazeera.com. valley. i'll talk to the authors of a startling new account that separates the man from the myth like never before. the titans of wall street, i'll talk to a politician, who says the bankers really run america. and a student debt strike against an institution that the government deemed too big to fail. i'm ali velshi, our special coverage of wealth in america, starts now. follow the money in america and you'll quickly find yourself on either coast. silicon valley california's hotbed of innovation technology silicon valley's income is almost double that of the rest of the country. no company embodies the success and wealth of the valley more than apple. the value of apple stock this year topped $700 billion. apple's shares will rise says one analyst to the point where the company will be worth $1 trillion. it's no secret that apple is on such a roll. chance he are, the person next to you is using a iphone. the company has sold half a billion iphones since introducing the phone. most s

john hendren, al jazeera, chicago. >>> as always action much more on our top stories on the website. go to www.aljazeera.com. [speaking spanish]

john hendren reports. >> reporter: modern life seems to have sped up everything including the men nationalastime. >> i love baseball i coached for 14 years. it's a little boring. when you sit back and wait 10 minutes. it lasts in the stand. changes have been introduced. baseball is on the clock. that has set off a national debate. >> it's up every three hours. >> you have been watching baseball your life and you grew up with it. you're telling me they need to change it. >> professional baseball is big business. 70 million fans follow the business. that has slowed down in the stands. every generation there's doomsday stories about how the public is losing interest. i don't see it. it is popular over all. it could suffer a little because the slow pace. major league baseball has the right idea. >> watching the boys of summer is a lifestyle, a tradition about barbecues and sunshine as it is about a nine innings face off. traditionalists like their decisions. >> leave it alone. you'll mess up the game. don't change it. >> the younger generation wants it better. >> the new rules require a pitche

john hendren reports from chicago. >> reporter: modern life appears to have sped up everything includinghe american national pastime. >> i love baseball for 14 years, it gets a little boring. when you sit and wait 10 minutes for someone guy to come back to the bat. >> reporter: with baseball games lasting 10 hours, few sit in the stands. change is introduced. baseball is on the clock, setting off a national debate. >> every three hours. >> you have been watching baseball your life and you grew up with it. it's so far out of hand they need to change it? >> reporter: professional baseball is big business. 70 million fans follow each year. the business slow down in the stand. every generation there's doomsday stories. i don't see it. the sport is popular, but it could be suffering a little bit because of the slow pace. i think major league soccer has the right idea with trying to pick things up. >> reporter: watching sport is a lifestyle in the u.s. it's as much as barbecues in the sun shine and a face off between pitcher and batter. traditionalists like their traditions. >> they'll mess up

john hendren, al jazeera, chicago. >>> french air traffic controllers have gone on strike leading toation of 40% of flights. travelers faced delays for hours across france. part of their dispute involves raising the retirement age for controllers from 67 to 69 years old. there are more strikes planned for the end of the month. >>> coming up on al jazeera -- ♪ >> hitting the right notes, a piano playing superstar in china starts a booming trend. >>> and in sport, we'll have an update on tiger wood's preparations ahead of his big return to the master's. ♪ ♪ >>> imagine a mobile phone battery which can recharge in under a minute. researchers at stanford university in california say they have built just that. their prototype uses aluminum to substitute for lithium cells. >> reporter: the lithium lithium -- battery has come a long way. but they can catch fire when overloaded or damaged and recharging them can take hours, but a new generation of batteries is on the horizon. instead of lithium it uses aluminum and graphite which removes the fire risk and the thin battery is flexible enough