Comedian Kazama Kampei (55) has said he’s had enough of the Spartathalon, after failing to finish the 246 km race from Athens to Sparta. Having run the first 75km in nine hours, he was 20 minutes over the allotted time and disqualified. He has competed in the race seven times since 1988, completing it three times. The full distance must be completed within 36 hours, and only about 20% of runners make it to the finish line. For anyone interested in seeing more of this self-proclaimed “gag machine” and his variety of whacky characters, he recently launched a new web site at Aheahe TV (Mostly bilingual, some sections Japanese only).• The popular Hello Kitty brand has spawned thousands of merchandising products, such as stationery, purses, pajamas and other items for kids, and even household goods and cars for older fans. Now it will soon start appearing on a new platform: a MasterCard debit card. “Freedom! You can use the Hello Kitty Debit MasterCard to shop ’til you drop,” the card’s Web site enthuses.