Every week, one Marketplace staff member offers their favorite stories from the past week. Here’s a small selection of our recent finest journalistic efforts:

• David Gura’s highly entertaining interview about financier and all-round crook, Marc Rich, complete with a reference to pugilist gerbils.

• Stacey Vanek Smith’s sound-rich piece on the hi-top fade was a great listen — and don’t forget to check out her slideshow here.

• David Brancaccio’s quick note on the digital video of “Portlandia” and the FBI.

• Jeff Tyler did a great two-part series on Mexican factories often offering better benefits than American factories.

• Chau Tu’s wrap of the weirdest Netflix recommendation categories.

• Mark Garrison’s piece on pod hotels with a video of the Russian hotel where reportedly Snowden stayed.

• David Brancaccio’s interview with an 11-year-old whistleblower, clearly proud of his undercover investigative skills.

• And Krissy Clark’s piece on Hollywood’s portrayal of the middle class.