So I'm Riding to Work Today,...

It was bright and sunny, so I was actually sweating when I got into the office. Something I noticed made me wonder. As I'm taking a shortcut through the Safeway parking lot I passed by Tweeter and noticed a couple of the workers standing outside smoking cigarettes. I know smoking has become more and more rare since I don't even know anyone that smokes anymore, but, I wonder how many hours, world-wide, are wasted by people going outside for a smoke break? Or, maybe that smoking break is a good thing for them. I read somewhere once that regular bullshitting on the job actually increases productivity. I'm not anti-smoking, as I think every person should make their own mind up whether they want to smoke or not, but still,... Why are smoking breaks more workplace acceptable than say,... I'm going outside to bullshit for 10 minutes 5-8 times each day?