This article made me think of the illustration about the world being a village of 100 people (link:
here). It can be used in a variety of ways to teach students about global issues. It's amazing to think about some of the statistics. A quarter of the world doesn't have electricity or safe water. Over half of the world is under 30. It's very interesting to compare the realities of the world to what we're used to in America.
I agree that the Capital Auction was a very interesting assignment. It's a creative way to illustrate many issues associated with globalization and the world economy and help students connect with them.