Customizing java.text formatters for different Locales

Settings formats = new Settings();
Properties SDFFormats = formats.load(propertiesFile);

String SDFAmerica = SDFFormats.getProperty("FormatAmerica");

FormatAmerica = MMM-dd-yyyy

// This is an incredibly ugly hack, but it's based on the fact that
  // Java for some reason decided that Italy uses "." between
  // hours.minutes.seconds, even though "locale" and strftime say
  // something different.
      hmsTimeFormat = DateFormat.getTimeInstance(DateFormat.MEDIUM);
      if (hmsTimeFormat instanceof SimpleDateFormat)
      {
    	String str = ((SimpleDateFormat)hmsTimeFormat).toPattern();
    	str = str.replace('.', ':');
    	hmsTimeFormat = new SimpleDateFormat(str);
      }

SimpleDateFormat sdf = (SimpleDateFormat)sdf.getDateTimeInstance(DateTime.SHORT,DateTime.SHORT, locale);
if (formatString != null) {
	sdf = new SimpleDateFormat(formatString);
}
if (am!= null && pm != null) {
	DateFormatSymbols symbols = sdf.getDateFormatSymbols();
	symbols.setAmPmStrings(new String[]{am, pm});
	sdf.setDateFormatSymbols(symbols);
}