We suggest that the collision of a small solid body with a pulsar can lead to an observable glitch/anti-glitch. The glitch amplitude depends on the mass of the small body and the impact parameter as well. In the collision, a considerable amount of po
tential energy will be released either in the form of a short hard X-ray burst or as a relatively long-lasting soft X-ray afterglow. The connection between the glitch amplitude and the X-ray energetics can help to diagnose the nature of these timing anomalies.
The discovery of multiband afterglows definitely shows that most $gamma$-ray bursts are of cosmological origin. $gamma$-ray bursts are found to be one of the most violent explosive phenomena in the Universe, in which astonishing ultra-relativistic mo
tions are involved. In this article, the multiband observational characteristics of $gamma$-ray bursts and their afterglows are briefly reviewed. The standard model of $gamma$-ray bursts, i.e. the fireball model, is described. Emphasis is then put on the importance of the nonrelativistic phase of afterglows. The concept of deep Newtonian phase is elaborated. A generic dynamical model that is applicable in both the relativistic and nonrelativistic phases is introduced. Based on these elaborations, the overall afterglow behaviors, from the very early stages to the very late stages, can be conveniently calculated.
