use XML::Simple;
use LWP::Simple;
use Data::Dumper;

my $url  = 'http://www.perlmonks.org/?node_id=207304';
my $text = get($url);
my $ref  = XMLin( $text, ForceArray => ['message'], );

print Dumper $ref;
__END__
$VAR1 = {
    'info' => {
        'sitename'   => 'PerlMonks',
        'count'      => '2',
        'gentimeGMT' => '2008-02-14 06:32:17',
        'lastid'     => '703987',
        'content'    => 'Rendered by the New Chatterbox XML Ticker',
        'xmlmaker'   => 'XML::Fling 1.001',
        'site'       => 'http://perlmonks.org/',
        'xmlstyle'   => 'clean,new',
        'fromid'     => '00703985',
        'ticker_id'  => '207304'
    },
    'message' => [
        {
            'message_id' => '703986',
            'epoch'      => '1202970679',
            'text'       => 'testing',
            'time'       => '01:31:19',
            'date'       => '2008-02-14',
            'user_id'    => '660179',
            'author'     => 'hipowls'
        },
        {
            'message_id' => '703987',
            'epoch'      => '1202970708',
            'text'       => 'just ignore it',
            'time'       => '01:31:48',
            'date'       => '2008-02-14',
            'user_id'    => '660179',
            'author'     => 'hipowls'
        }
    ]
};