For first cuts, I always start with XML::Simple. It chokes on feeds that aren't true XML — which unfortunately happens a lot — but hey, it gives you some validation. ;-)

I want to read in each title of joke and then print the description and link for each of them,

Heya,

I use a hacked around version of rss2html.pl to update news headlines on our organizational intranet. Uses XML:RSS and LWP::Simple and weighs in at 63 lines. I found it straightforward to modify may be just what you need.
--
charlieharvey.org.uk

Uses XML:RSS ... may be just what you need

Well, except for the bit about having problems installing XML::RSS :-)

--
<http://dave.org.uk>

"The first rule of Perl club is you do not talk about Perl club."
-- Chip Salzenberg

just getting into RSS parsing

I want to read this RSS feed

are two different things for me. Have a look here: XML::RSS.

XML::RSS::Feed might be for you.

If you just want to drop something into your webservers cgi-bin, that does read RSS feeds, you might have a look at Tiny Tiny RSS,and if you really want to get into RSS parsing, you could port that to perl, for a start :)

--shmem

_($_=" "x(1<<5)."?\n".q·/)Oo.  G°\        /
                              /\_¯/(q    /
----------------------------  \__(m.====·.(_("always off the crowd"))."·
");sub _{s./.($e="'Itrs `mnsgdq Gdbj O`qkdq")=~y/"-y/#-z/;$e.e && print}